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Sample records for saline injected controls

  1. Effect of caudal epidural steroid or saline injection in chronic lumbar radiculopathy: multicentre, blinded, randomised controlled trial

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iversen, Trond; Solberg, Tore K; Romner, Bertil

    2011-01-01

    To assess the efficacy of caudal epidural steroid or saline injection in chronic lumbar radiculopathy in the short (6 weeks), intermediate (12 weeks), and long term (52 weeks).......To assess the efficacy of caudal epidural steroid or saline injection in chronic lumbar radiculopathy in the short (6 weeks), intermediate (12 weeks), and long term (52 weeks)....

  2. Saline as the Sole Contrast Agent for Successful MRI-guided Epidural Injections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deli, Martin; Fritz, Jan; Mateiescu, Serban; Busch, Martin; Carrino, John A.; Becker, Jan; Garmer, Marietta; Grönemeyer, Dietrich

    2013-01-01

    Purpose. To assess the performance of sterile saline solution as the sole contrast agent for percutaneous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided epidural injections at 1.5 T. Methods. A retrospective analysis of two different techniques of MRI-guided epidural injections was performed with either gadolinium-enhanced saline solution or sterile saline solution for documentation of the epidural location of the needle tip. T1-weighted spoiled gradient echo (FLASH) images or T2-weighted single-shot turbo spin echo (HASTE) images visualized the test injectants. Methods were compared by technical success rate, image quality, table time, and rate of complications. Results. 105 MRI-guided epidural injections (12 of 105 with gadolinium-enhanced saline solution and 93 of 105 with sterile saline solution) were performed successfully and without complications. Visualization of sterile saline solution and gadolinium-enhanced saline solution was sufficient, good, or excellent in all 105 interventions. For either test injectant, quantitative image analysis demonstrated comparable high contrast-to-noise ratios of test injectants to adjacent body substances with reliable statistical significance levels (p < 0.001). The mean table time was 22 ± 9 min in the gadolinium-enhanced saline solution group and 22 ± 8 min in the saline solution group (p = 0.75). Conclusion. Sterile saline is suitable as the sole contrast agent for successful and safe percutaneous MRI-guided epidural drug delivery at 1.5 T.

  3. US-Approved Intra-Articular Hyaluronic Acid Injections are Safe and Effective in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Saline-Controlled Trials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Larry E.; Block, Jon E.

    2013-01-01

    We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized saline-controlled trials to determine the safety and efficacy of US-approved intra-articular hyaluronic acid (IAHA) injections for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. A total of 29 studies representing 4,866 unique subjects (IAHA: 2,673, saline: 2,193) were included. IAHA injection resulted in very large treatment effects between 4 and 26 weeks for knee pain and function compared to pre-injection values, with standardized mean difference (SMD) values ranging from 1.07–1.37 (all P injection of US-approved HA products is safe and efficacious in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. PMID:24027421

  4. Reinforcement of spinal anesthesia by epidural injection of saline: a comparison of hyperbaric and isobaric tetracaine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamazaki, Y; Mimura, M; Hazama, K; Namiki, A

    2000-04-25

    An epidural injection of saline was reported to extend spinal anesthesia because of a volume effect. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the baricity of spinal local anesthetics upon the extension of spinal anesthesia by epidural injection of saline. Forty patients undergoing elective lower-limb surgery were randomly allocated to four groups of 10 patients each. Group A received no epidural injection after the spinal administration of hyperbaric tetracaine (dissolved in 10% glucose). Group B received an epidural injection of 8 ml of physiological saline 20 min after spinal hyperbaric tetracaine. Group C received no epidural injection after spinal isobaric tetracaine (dissolved in physiological saline). Group D received an epidural injection of 8 ml of saline 20 min after spinal isobaric tetracaine. The level of analgesia was examined by the pinprick method at 5-min intervals. The levels of analgesia 20 min after spinal anesthesia were significantly higher in hyperbaric groups than in isobaric groups [T5 (T2-L2) vs. T7 (T3-12)]. After epidural injection of saline, the levels of analgesia in groups B and D were significantly higher than in groups A and C. The segmental increases after epidural saline injection were 2 (0-3) in group B and 2 (1-7) in group D. Sensation in the sacral area remained 20 min after spinal block in one patient in group D; however, it disappeared after epidural saline injection. In this study, 8 ml of epidural saline extended spinal analgesia. However, there was no difference between the augmenting effect in isobaric and hyperbaric spinal anesthesia. We conclude that the reinforcement of spinal anesthesia by epidural injection of saline is not affected by the baricity of the spinal anesthetic solution used.

  5. Intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid is not superior to saline solution injection for ankle arthritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeGroot, Henry; Uzunishvili, Sofia; Weir, Robert; Al-omari, Ali; Gomes, Bruna

    2012-01-04

    Intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid are potentially useful to treat ankle osteoarthritis, yet their effectiveness has not been proven. Both single and multiple-dose treatments for ankle arthritis with use of various hyaluronic acid products have been recommended, but few high-quality studies have been published. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a single intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid with a single intra-articular injection of normal saline solution (placebo) for osteoarthritis of the ankle. Sixty-four patients with ankle osteoarthritis who met all study criteria were randomly assigned to a single intra-articular injection of 2.5 mL of low-molecular-weight, non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid or a single intra-articular injection of 2.5 mL of normal saline solution. The primary outcome measure was the change from baseline in the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) clinical rating score at the six-week and twelve-week follow-up examination. Secondary outcome measures included the Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale score and patient-reported pain with use of a visual analog pain scale. Of the sixty-four patients randomized and treated, eight patients withdrew, leaving fifty-six patients who completed the entire study. There was one mild adverse event (1.6%) among the sixty-four patients. At six weeks and twelve weeks, the mean AOFAS scores in the hyaluronic acid group had improved from baseline by 4.9 and 4.9 points, respectively, whereas the mean AOFAS scores in the placebo group initially worsened by 0.4 point at six weeks and then improved by 5.4 points at twelve weeks. While the change at twelve weeks from baseline was substantial for both groups, the between-group differences were not significant. We found that a single intra-articular injection of low-molecular-weight, non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid is not demonstrably superior to a single intra-articular injection of saline solution for the treatment of

  6. A randomized clinical trial on comparison of corticosteroid injection with or without splinting versus saline injection with or without splinting in patients with lateral epicondylitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Ali Tahririan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Lateral epicondylitis is a common problem affecting 1-3% of the population. There has been much debate about the best treatment modality for this condition. There is, however, no conclusive evidence in support of any of the proposed treatment modalities. In this trial, we have studied the effect of corticosteroid injection (with or without splinting with normal saline injection (with or without splinting. Materials and Methods: In this double-blind, randomized clinical trial, individuals were randomly assigned to either of four treatment groups and received either 40 mg depomedrol injection alone, 40 mg depomedrol injection with splinting, normal saline injection alone, or normal saline injection with splinting. They were evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS at weeks 2, 4 and 24 and with the Oxford elbow scale (OES at 24 weeks. Results: A total of 79 patients were participated in the study. The corticosteroid injection groups had better pain relief as measured by VAS at 2 and 4 weeks compared with the two saline injection groups. Mean VAS difference at week 0 versus week 2 was 4.5 ± 0.9 and 2.8 ± 0.6 in corticosteroid injection groups and saline injection groups respectively (P < 0.01 but at 24 weeks, there was only moderate benefit reported for the group which received steroid injection and splinting (P < 0.01 compared to the saline injection groups. The saline injection groups reported better improvement in OES scores (20.1 ± 3.7 at the end of the trial compared corticosteroid injection groups (16.1 ± 2.9 (P < 0.05. Conclusion: Our results indicate that despite the clear pain reduction benefit associated with steroid injection in short term, this benefit in comparison with normal saline injection fades by the 24 th week of follow-up.

  7. Dextrose Prolotherapy Versus Control Injections in Painful Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertrand, Helene; Reeves, Kenneth Dean; Bennett, Cameron J; Bicknell, Simon; Cheng, An-Lin

    2016-01-01

    To compare the effect of dextrose prolotherapy on pain levels and degenerative changes in painful rotator cuff tendinopathy against 2 potentially active control injection procedures. Randomized controlled trial, blinded to participants and evaluators. Outpatient pain medicine practice. Persons (N=73) with chronic shoulder pain, examination findings of rotator cuff tendinopathy, and ultrasound-confirmed supraspinatus tendinosis/tear. Three monthly injections either (1) onto painful entheses with dextrose (Enthesis-Dextrose), (2) onto entheses with saline (Enthesis-Saline), or (3) above entheses with saline (Superficial-Saline). All solutions included 0.1% lidocaine. All participants received concurrent programmed physical therapy. Primary: participants achieving an improvement in maximal current shoulder pain ≥2.8 (twice the minimal clinically important difference for visual analog scale pain) or not. Secondary: improvement in the Ultrasound Shoulder Pathology Rating Scale (USPRS) and a 0-to-10 satisfaction score (10, completely satisfied). The 73 participants had moderate to severe shoulder pain (7.0±2.0) for 7.6±9.6 years. There were no baseline differences between groups. Blinding was effective. At 9-month follow-up, 59% of Enthesis-Dextrose participants maintained ≥2.8 improvement in pain compared with Enthesis-Saline (37%; P=.088) and Superficial-Saline (27%; P=.017). Enthesis-Dextrose participants' satisfaction was 6.7±3.2 compared with Enthesis-Saline (4.7±4.1; P=.079) and Superficial-Saline (3.9±3.1; P=.003). USPRS findings were not different between groups (P=.734). In participants with painful rotator cuff tendinopathy who receive physical therapy, injection of hypertonic dextrose on painful entheses resulted in superior long-term pain improvement and patient satisfaction compared with blinded saline injection over painful entheses, with intermediate results for entheses injection with saline. These differences could not be attributed to a

  8. Study of the Effect of Clay Particles on Low Salinity Water Injection in Sandstone Reservoirs

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    Sina Rezaei Gomari

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The need for optimal recovery of crude oil from sandstone and carbonate reservoirs around the world has never been greater for the petroleum industry. Water-flooding has been applied to the supplement primary depletion process or as a separate secondary recovery method. Low salinity water injection is a relatively new method that involves injecting low salinity brines at high pressure similar to conventional water-flooding techniques, in order to recover crude oil. The effectiveness of low salinity water injection in sandstone reservoirs depends on a number of parameters such as reservoir temperature, pressure, type of clay particle and salinity of injected brine. Clay particles present on reservoir rock surfaces adsorb polar components of oil and modify wettability of sandstone rocks to the oil-wet state, which is accountable for the reduced recovery rates by conventional water-flooding. The extent of wettability alteration caused by three low salinity brines on oil-wet sandstone samples containing varying clay content (15% or 30% and type of clay (kaolinite/montmorillonite were analyzed in the laboratory experiment. Contact angles of mica powder and clay mixture (kaolinite/montmorillonite modified with crude oil were measured before and after injection with three low salinity sodium chloride brines. The effect of temperature was also analyzed for each sample. The results of the experiment indicate that samples with kaolinite clay tend to produce higher contact angles than samples with montmorillonite clay when modified with crude oil. The highest degree or extent of wettability alteration from oil-wet to intermediate-wet state upon injection with low salinity brines was observed for samples injected with brine having salinity concentration of 2000 ppm. The increase in temperature tends to produce contact angles values lying in the higher end of the intermediate-wet range (75°–115° for samples treated at 50 °C, while their corresponding

  9. Intralesional saline injection for effective ultrasound-guided aspiration of benign viscous cystic thyroid nodules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ko, Eun Sook; Shin, Jung Hee; Sung, Jin Yong

    2014-01-01

    We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vigorous saline injection for viscous cystic thyroid nodules. Eighteen patients who underwent ultrasound-guided aspiration for viscous cystic thyroid nodules using a saline injection were included in our study. After failing to aspirate the cyst by the usual method, we vigorously injected saline into the cyst in multiple directions to break up and liquefy the viscous cystic contents to enable aspiration. The initial and the residual volume of the nodule were calculated, and the volume reduction rate and the time taken to perform the aspiration were recorded. The mean volume of the cystic nodules before aspiration was 11.0 mL (range, 1.2 to 26.0 mL), while the postaspiration volume was 4.2 mL (range, 0.2 to 14.5 mL). The mean aspirated volume was 63.7% of the initial volume. The mean procedure time was 12.4 minutes (range, 5 to 26 minutes). There were no significant complications related to the procedure. A vigorous saline injection followed by aspiration can be a useful method to aspirate viscous cystic thyroid nodules as a prestep for further intervention or simple management.

  10. A study on the effect of the injected absolute ethanol and hot-saline in the normal liver of rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rhim, Hyun Chul; Hong, Eun Kyung; Cho, On Koo; Song, Soon Young; Koh, Byung Hee; Seo, Heung Suk; Hahm, Chang Kok; Park, Hwon Kyum

    1995-01-01

    To compare the effect of local injection therapy with absolute ethanol and hot-saline in the normal liver of rat. An experimental study was performed with the normal liver of 52 rats. The resected livers were pathologically analyzed on three days, one week, two weeks, and four weeks after injection of 0.1 ml absolute ethanol and hot-saline. The assessment was done in view of 1) main pathologic changes on time, 2) pattern of inflammatory cell infiltration, 3) measurement of necrotic area, 4) effect on vascular and biliary tracts adjacent to necrotic area, and 5) extrahepatic peritoneal adhesion. The main pathologic changes were acute necrosis with inflammation for three days group and secondary regenerative fibrosis in all groups. The degree of necrosis was significantly more severe in absolute ethanol injection group, demonstrating larger necrotic area, than hot-saline injection group. The effect on vessels and bile ducts adjacent to the necrotic area was almost not seen in both groups. The extrahepatic peritoneal adhesion was noted in both groups, but the degree was more prominent in the absolute ethanol injection group than hot-saline injection group. Absolute ethanol is superior to hot-saline in the necrotic effect of percutaneous injection therapy. However, hot-saline could be applied in case of the borderline area between mass and adjacent normal liver or the subcapsular mass

  11. Hyaluronic acid versus saline intra-articular injections for amelioration of chronic knee osteoarthritis: A canine model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pashuck, Troy D; Kuroki, Keiichi; Cook, Cristi R; Stoker, Aaron M; Cook, James L

    2016-10-01

    The objective of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid (HA) versus saline for symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). Twenty-five adult purpose-bred dogs underwent meniscal release of one knee. Clinical, arthroscopic, and radiographic signs of OA were confirmed in all dogs prior to treatment. Dogs were randomized into five groups: HA-1 (n = 5), HA-3 (n = 5), HA-5 (n = 5), Saline-1 (n = 5), and Saline-3 (n = 5). Each dog received intra-articular injections of the respective substance into the affected knee at the pre-determined time points. Dogs were assessed for heat, swelling, and erythema after each injection and for lameness, pain, effusion, range of motion, kinetics, radiographic OA scoring, and arthroscopic scoring prior to treatment and for 6 months after injection. Dogs were then humanely euthanatized and the knees assessed grossly and histologically. Only mild heat, swelling, and/or erythema were noted in some dogs following injection and resolved within 1 week. Dogs treated with HA-1, HA-3, and HA-5 were significantly (p injection protocols were safe, superior to saline for short-term amelioration of symptoms associated with chronic OA, and can be translated to human OA treatment. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:1772-1779, 2016. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Optimizing geologic CO2 sequestration by injection in deep saline formations below oil reservoirs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Weon Shik; McPherson, Brian J.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this research is to present a best-case paradigm for geologic CO 2 storage: CO 2 injection and sequestration in saline formations below oil reservoirs. This includes the saline-only section below the oil-water contact (OWC) in oil reservoirs, a storage target neglected in many current storage capacity assessments. This also includes saline aquifers (high porosity and permeability formations) immediately below oil-bearing formations. While this is a very specific injection target, we contend that most, if not all, oil-bearing basins in the US contain a great volume of such strata, and represent a rather large CO 2 storage capacity option. We hypothesize that these are the best storage targets in those basins. The purpose of this research is to evaluate this hypothesis. We quantitatively compared CO 2 behavior in oil reservoirs and brine formations by examining the thermophysical properties of CO 2 , CO 2 -brine, and CO 2 -oil in various pressure, temperature, and salinity conditions. In addition, we compared the distribution of gravity number (N), which characterizes a tendency towards buoyancy-driven CO 2 migration, and mobility ratio (M), which characterizes the impeded CO 2 migration, in oil reservoirs and brine formations. Our research suggests competing advantages and disadvantages of CO 2 injection in oil reservoirs vs. brine formations: (1) CO 2 solubility in oil is significantly greater than in brine (over 30 times); (2) the tendency of buoyancy-driven CO 2 migration is smaller in oil reservoirs because density contrast between oil and CO 2 is smaller than it between brine and oil (the approximate density contrast between CO 2 and crude oil is ∼100 kg/m 3 and between CO 2 and brine is ∼350 kg/m 3 ); (3) the increased density of oil and brine due to the CO 2 dissolution is not significant (about 7-15 kg/m 3 ); (4) the viscosity reduction of oil due to CO 2 dissolution is significant (from 5790 to 98 mPa s). We compared these competing

  13. [Neonatal Semax and saline injections induce open-field behavior changes in mice of different genotypes].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shilova, O B; Markina, N V; Perepelkina, O V; Gichenok, I V; Korochkin, L I; Poletaeva, I I

    2004-01-01

    DBA/2, CBA mice, and their F1 hybrids (first series) and 101/HY and C3H mice (second series) were injected as neonates (2-7 days of life) with Semax (sc., 7 microg per animal). Semax is a peptide analogue of ACHT4-10 fragment which is resistant to degradation. The common feature of remote effects of both Semax and saline injections was the set of changes in the open-field behavior in adult (2.5- to 3-month-old) animals as compared to intact mice. Unexpectedly, the neonatal saline injections induced many changes in adult behavior, part of these effects being genotype-dependent. The most conspicuous shifts (genotype-dependent increase or decline) in freezing, grooming and rearing scores were displayed by DBA/2 and C3H mice, whereas the hole-poke frequencies were significantly changed in CBA and C3H mice. Squares crossed in the center of arena and rearing number were significantly increased in saline group of DBA/2 mice, whereas in Semax-injected DBA/2 group they were approximately equal to the level of intact mice. This means that the remote effects of noxious stimulation (injections of saline) were in some ways "compensated" as the result of concomitant peptide effect. At the same time, the numbers of freezing and grooming episodes were also increased in these groups. Because exploratory behavior and manifestations of anxiety increased or decreased simultaneously, it proves to be difficult to ascribe these changes to behavioral modulation along the "novelty seeking--anxiety" axis. In mice of other genotypes, changes in the same indices of the open-field behavior were revealed, but these changes were different in their direction. It was suggested that the complex patterns of postnatal behavior was the result of neonatal injections modulating subsequent brain development.

  14. Saline water intrusion toward groundwater: Issues and its control

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    Purnama S

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, saline water pollution has been gaining its importance as the major issue around the world, especially in the urban coastal area. Saline water pollution has major impact on human life and livelihood. It ́s mainly a result from static fossil water and the dynamics of sea water intrusion. The problem of saline water pollution caused by seawater intrusion has been increasing since the beginning of urban population. The problem of sea water intrusion in the urban coastal area must be anticipated as soon as possible especially in the urban areas developed in coastal zones,. This review article aims to; (i analyze the distribution of saline water pollution on urban coastal area in Indonesia and (ii analyze some methods in controlling saline water pollution, especially due to seawater intrusion in urban coastal area. The strength and weakness of each method have been compared, including (a applying different pumping patterns, (b artificial recharge, (c extraction barrier, (d injection barrier and (e subsurface barrier. The best method has been selected considering its possible development in coastal areas of developing countries. The review is based considering the location of Semarang coastal area, Indonesia. The results have shown that artificial recharge and extraction barrier are the most suitable methods to be applied in the area.

  15. Effectiveness of Bupivacaine Liposome Injectable Suspension for Postoperative Pain Control in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Prospective, Randomized, Double Blind, Controlled Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeClaire, Jeffrey H; Aiello, Paige M; Warritay, Olayinka K; Freeman, Dwight C

    2017-09-01

    We compared the effectiveness of liposomal bupivacaine to ropivacaine, each as part of multimodal pain management, in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) postoperative pain control. This prospective, double blind study randomized 96 TKA patients into a control group (periarticular injection of ropivacaine, ketorolac, morphine, and epinephrine in saline; 100cc) or an experimental group (periarticular injection of bupivacaine, ketorolac, morphine, and epinephrine in saline; 80cc plus 1.3% liposomal bupivacaine 20cc; total injection 100cc). The postoperative use of narcotics, visual analog pain scores, hours to ambulate 100 feet, and length of hospital stay were recorded. There was no significant difference between the two groups (control N = 49, experiment N = 47) in mean narcotic use per hour, total narcotic use during hospital stay, time to ambulate 100 feet, length of hospital stay, or visual analog score for pain postoperatively. There is no benefit in the use of liposomal bupivacaine compared with ropivacaine for postoperative pain control in TKA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Hydrogen-rich saline injection into the subarachnoid cavity within 2 weeks promotes recovery after acute spinal cord injury

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    Jian-long Wang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Hydrogen can relieve tissue-damaging oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis. Injection of hydrogen-rich saline is an effective method for transporting molecular hydrogen. We hypothesized that hydrogen-rich saline would promote the repair of spinal cord injury induced by Allen′s method in rats. At 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours after injury, then once daily for 2 weeks, 0.25 mL/kg hydrogen-rich saline was infused into the subarachnoid space through a catheter. Results at 24 hours, 48 hours, 1 week and 2 weeks after injury showed that hydrogen-rich saline markedly reduced cell death, inflammatory cell infiltration, serum malondialdehyde content, and caspase-3 immunoreactivity, elevated serum superoxide dismutase activity and calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactivity, and improved motor function in the hindlimb. The present study confirms that hydrogen-rich saline injected within 2 weeks of injury effectively contributes to the repair of spinal cord injury in the acute stage.

  17. A fast alternative to core plug tests for optimising injection water salinity for EOR

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hassenkam, Tue; Andersson, Martin Peter; Hilner, Emelie Kristin Margareta

    2014-01-01

    of the clays which would lead to permanent reservoir damage but evidence of effectiveness at moderate salinity would offer the opportunity to dispose of produced water. The goal is to define boundary conditions so injection water salinity is high enough to prevent reservoir damage and low enough to induce...... the low salinity effect while keeping costs and operational requirements at a minimum. Traditional core plug testing for optimising conditions has some limitations. Each test requires a fresh sample, core testing requires sophisticated and expensive equipment, and reliable core test data requires several...... experiments can be done relatively quickly on very little material, it gives the possibility of testing salinity response on samples from throughout a reservoir and for gathering statistics. Our approach provides a range of data that can be used to screen core plug testing conditions and to provide extra data...

  18. Enhanced oil recovery by nitrogen and carbon dioxide injection followed by low salinity water flooding for tight carbonate reservoir: experimental approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Georges Lwisa, Essa; Abdulkhalek, Ashrakat R.

    2018-03-01

    Enhanced Oil Recovery techniques are one of the top priorities of technology development in petroleum industries nowadays due to the increase in demand for oil and gas which cannot be equalized by the primary production or secondary production methods. The main function of EOR process is to displace oil to the production wells by the injection of different fluids to supplement the natural energy present in the reservoir. Moreover, these injecting fluids can also help in the alterations of the properties of the reservoir like lowering the IFTs, wettability alteration, a change in pH value, emulsion formation, clay migration and oil viscosity reduction. The objective of this experiment is to investigate the residual oil recovery by combining the effects of gas injection followed by low salinity water injection for low permeability reservoirs. This is done by a series of flooding tests on selected tight carbonate core samples taken from Zakuum oil field in Abu Dhabi by using firstly low salinity water as the base case and nitrogen & CO2injection followed by low salinity water flooding at reservoir conditions of pressure and temperature. The experimental results revealed that a significant improvement of the oil recovery is achieved by the nitrogen injection followed by the low salinity water flooding with a recovery factor of approximately 24% of the residual oil.

  19. Seismic modeling of acid-gas injection in a deep saline reservoir

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ursenbach, C.P.; Lawton, D.C. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Dept. of Geoscience, Consortium for Research in Elastic Wave Exploration Seismology

    2008-07-01

    Carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) and hydrogen sulfide (H{sub 2}S) are common byproducts of the energy industry. As such, remediation studies are underway to determine the feasibility of sequestering these byproducts in subsurface reservoirs, including deep saline reservoirs. Acid gas injection at smaller gas wells holds promise. However, in order for such injection programs to work, the progress of the injection plume must be tracked. A modeling study of fluid substitution was carried out to gain insight into the ability of seismic monitoring to distinguish pre- and post-injection states of the reservoir medium. The purpose of this study was to carry out fluid substitution calculations for the modeling of an injection process. A methodology that may be applied or adapted to a variety of acid-gas injection scenarios was also developed. The general approach involved determining acoustic properties at reservoir temperature and pressure of relevant fluids; obtaining elastic properties of the reservoir rock for some reference saturated state, and the elastic properties of the mineral comprising it; and, determining the change in reservoir elastic properties due to fluid substitution via Gassmann's equation. Water, brine and non-aqueous acid gas were the 3 fluids of interest in this case. The feasibility of monitoring was judged by the sensitivity of travel times and reflection coefficients to fluid substitution. 4 refs., 2 figs.

  20. The clinical usefulness evaluation of normal saline injection in coronary artery computed tomography angiography (Coronary CTA)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Kang Kyo; Lee, Mi Hwa; Cho, Pyong Kon

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study is that in coronary artery angiography computed tomography (coronary CTA), to gain high quality of image and to use low dose radiation by administrating normal saline and converting the mode of scanning heart rate (HR) characteristics before infusing contrast media. All patients data (total specimens: 200, male: 108, female: 92) were measured by using appropriate mode of scanning the heart rate (HR) after injection of saline. in addition we measured radiation dose (CTDIvol, effective dose) in all examinations. CT number and noise, and blurring of coronary artery (proximal RCA, middle RCA, proximal LCA) were measured and compared. The result of this study after injection of saline, mean heart rate was decreased about 4.8±0.3 bpm (beats per minute). 33 patients (13%) got converting scan mode due to reducing heart rate (HR). In prospective gating mode, radiation dose were measured less 6.0±1.0 mSv (54.1%) than retrospective gating mode. Also showed a significant difference in heart rate decrease in image evaluation

  1. The clinical usefulness evaluation of normal saline injection in coronary artery computed tomography angiography (Coronary CTA)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jung, Kang Kyo; Lee, Mi Hwa; Cho, Pyong Kon [Dept. of Radiological Science, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-12-15

    The purpose of this study is that in coronary artery angiography computed tomography (coronary CTA), to gain high quality of image and to use low dose radiation by administrating normal saline and converting the mode of scanning heart rate (HR) characteristics before infusing contrast media. All patients data (total specimens: 200, male: 108, female: 92) were measured by using appropriate mode of scanning the heart rate (HR) after injection of saline. in addition we measured radiation dose (CTDIvol, effective dose) in all examinations. CT number and noise, and blurring of coronary artery (proximal RCA, middle RCA, proximal LCA) were measured and compared. The result of this study after injection of saline, mean heart rate was decreased about 4.8±0.3 bpm (beats per minute). 33 patients (13%) got converting scan mode due to reducing heart rate (HR). In prospective gating mode, radiation dose were measured less 6.0±1.0 mSv (54.1%) than retrospective gating mode. Also showed a significant difference in heart rate decrease in image evaluation.

  2. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography: first-pass arterial enhancement as a function of gadolinium-chelate concentration, and the saline chaser volume and injection rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Husarik, Daniela B; Bashir, Mustafa R; Weber, Paul W; Nichols, Eli B; Howle, Laurens E; Merkle, Elmar M; Nelson, Rendon C

    2012-02-01

    To evaluate the effect of the contrast medium (CM) concentration and the saline chaser volume and injection rate on first-pass aortic enhancement characteristics in contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography using a physiologic flow phantom. Imaging was performed on a 3.0-T magnetic resonance system (MAGNETOM Trio, Siemens Healthcare Solutions, Inc, Erlangen, Germany) using a 2-dimensional fast low angle shot T1-weighted sequence (repetition time, 500 milliseconds; echo time, 1.23 milliseconds; flip angle, 8 degrees; 1 frame/s × 60 seconds). The following CM concentrations injected at 2 mL/s were used with 3 different contrast agents (gadolinium [Gd]-BOPTA, Gd-HP-DO3A, Gd-DTPA): 20 mL of undiluted CM (100%) and 80%, 40%, 20%, 10%, 5%, and 2.5% of the full amount, all diluted in saline to a volume of 20 mL to ensure equal bolus volume. The CM was followed by saline chasers of 20 to 60 mL injected at 2 mL/s and 6 mL/s. Aortic signal intensity (SI) was measured, and normalized SI versus time (SI/Tn) curves were generated. The maximal SI (SI(max)), bolus length, and areas under the SI/Tn curve were calculated. Decreasing the CM concentration from 100% to 40% resulted in a decrease of SI(max) to 86.1% (mean). Further decreasing the CM concentration to 2.5% decreased SI(max) to 5.1% (mean). Altering the saline chaser volume had no significant effect on SI(max). Increasing the saline chaser injection rate had little effect (mean increase, 2.2%) on SI(max) when using ≥40% of CM. There was a larger effect (mean increase, 19.6%) when ≤20% of CM were used. Bolus time length was significantly shorter (P < 0.001), and area under the SI/T(n) curve was significantly smaller (P < 0.01) for the CM protocols followed by a saline chaser injected at 6 mL/s compared with a saline chaser injected at 2 mL/s. With 40% of CM and a fast saline chaser, SImax close to that with undiluted CM can be achieved. An increased saline chaser injection rate has a more pronounced effect on

  3. Salinity Trends in the Upper Colorado River Basin Upstream From the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit, Colorado, 1986-2003

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leib, Kenneth J.; Bauch, Nancy J.

    2008-01-01

    In 1974, the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act was passed into law. This law was enacted to address concerns regarding the salinity content of the Colorado River. The law authorized various construction projects in selected areas or 'units' of the Colorado River Basin intended to reduce the salinity load in the Colorado River. One such area was the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit in western Colorado. The U. S. Geological Survey has done extensive studies and research in the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit that provide information to aid the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Natural Resources Conservation Service in determining where salinity-control work may provide the best results, and to what extent salinity-control work was effective in reducing salinity concentrations and loads in the Colorado River. Previous studies have indicated that salinity concentrations and loads have been decreasing downstream from the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit, and that the decreases are likely the result of salinity control work in these areas. Several of these reports; however, also document decreasing salinity loads upstream from the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit. This finding was important because only a small amount of salinity-control work was being done in areas upstream from the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit at the time the findings were reported (late 1990?s). As a result of those previous findings, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation entered into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey to investigate salinity trends in selected areas bracketing the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit and regions upstream from the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit. The results of the study indicate that salinity loads were decreasing upstream from the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit from 1986 through 2003, but the rates of decrease have slowed during the last 10 years. The average rate of decrease in salinity load upstream from the Grand Valley

  4. Evaluation of reconstruction parameters of electrical impedance tomography on aorta detection during saline bolus injection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thürk Florian

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available An accurate detection of anatomical structures in electrical impedance tomography (EIT is still at an early stage. Aorta detection in EIT is of special interest, since it would favor non-invasive assessment of hemodynamic processes in the body. Here, diverse EIT reconstruction parameters of the GREIT algorithm were systematically evaluated to detect the aorta after saline bolus injection in apnea. True aorta position and size were taken from computed tomography (CT. A comparison with CT showed that the smallest error for aorta displacement was attained for noise figure nf = 0.7, weighting radius rw = 0.15, and target size ts = 0.01. The spatial extension of the aorta was most precise for nf = 0.7, rw = 0.25, and ts = 0.07. Detection accuracy (F1-score was highest with nf = 0.6, rw = 0.15, and ts = 0.04. This work provides algorithm-related evidence for potentially accurate aorta detection in EIT after injection of a saline bolus.

  5. 64-section multidetector CT of the upper abdomen: optimization of a saline chaser injection protocol for improved vascular and parenchymal contrast enhancement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marin, Daniele [Duke University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Durham, NC (United States); University of Rome Sapienza, Department of Radiological Sciences, Rome (Italy); Nelson, Rendon C. [Duke University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Durham, NC (United States); Guerrisi, Antonino; Passariello, Roberto; Catalano, Carlo [University of Rome Sapienza, Department of Radiological Sciences, Rome (Italy); Barnhart, Huiman [Duke University Medical Center, Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Durham, NC (United States); Schindera, Sebastian T. [University Hospital of Bern, Institute for Diagnostic, Interventional and Pediatric Radiology, Bern (Switzerland)

    2011-09-15

    To prospectively investigate the effect of varying the injection flow rates of a saline chaser on vascular and parenchymal contrast enhancement during abdominal MDCT. 100 consecutive patients were randomly assigned to four injection protocols. A fixed dose of contrast medium was administered followed by no saline (Protocol A) or 50 mL of saline at 2, 4, or 8 mL/s (Protocols B, C, and D). Peak, time-to-peak, and duration of 90% peak enhancement were determined for aorta, pancreas, and liver. Aortic peak enhancement was significantly higher for Protocol D (369.5 HU) compared with Protocols A and B (332.9 HU and 326.0 HU, respectively; P < 0.05). Pancreatic peak enhancement was significantly higher for Protocols C and D (110.6 HU and 110.9 HU, respectively) compared to Protocol A (92.5 HU; P < 0.05). Aortic and pancreatic time-to-peak enhancement occurred significantly later for Protocol D compared with Protocol A (42.8 s vs. 36.1 s [P < 0.001] and 49.7 s vs. 45.3 s [P = 0.003]). Injecting a saline chaser at high flow rates yields significantly higher peak aortic and pancreatic enhancement, with a slight longer time-to-peak enhancement. (orig.)

  6. Influence of intramuscular granisetron on experimentally induced muscle pain by acidic saline.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Louca, S; Ernberg, M; Christidis, N

    2013-06-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate whether intramuscular administration of the 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist granisetron reduces experimental muscle pain induced by repeated intramuscular injections of acidic saline into the masseter muscles. Twenty-eight healthy and pain-free volunteers, fourteen women and fourteen men participated in this randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study. After a screening examination and registration of the baseline pressure-pain threshold (PPT), the first simultaneous bilateral injections of 0·5 mL acidic saline (9 mg mL(-1) , pH 3·3) into the masseter muscles were performed. Two days later, PPT and pain (VAS) were re-assessed. The masseter muscle was then pre-treated with 0·5 mL granisetron (Kytril(®) 1 mg mL(-1) pH 5·3) on one side and control substance (isotonic saline, 9 mg mL(-1) pH 6) on the contralateral side. Two minutes thereafter a bilateral simultaneous injection of 0·5 mL acidic saline followed. The evoked pain intensity, pain duration, pain area and PPT were assessed. The volunteers returned 1 week later to re-assess VAS and PPT. On the side pre-treated with granisetron, the induced pain had significantly lower intensity and shorter duration (P granisetron on pain duration was significant only in women (P granisetron has a pain-reducing effect on experimentally induced muscle pain by repeated acidic saline injection. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Association of 24 h maternal deprivation with a saline injection in the neonatal period alters adult stress response and brain monoamines in a sex-dependent fashion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabbia, Rafael; Consoli, Amanda; Suchecki, Deborah

    2018-04-01

    Maternal deprivation (MD) disinhibits the adrenal glands, rendering them responsive to various stressors, including saline injection, and this increased corticosterone (CORT) response can last for as long as 2 h. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that association of MD on day 11 with a saline injection would alter emotional behavior, CORT response, and brain monoamine levels, in male and female adult rats. Rats were submitted to the novelty suppressed feeding (NSF), the sucrose negative contrast test (SNCT), social investigation test (SIT), and the elevated plus maze (EPM). One quarter of each group was not tested (providing basal values of CORT and brain monoamines) and the remainder was decapitated 15, 45, or 75 min after the EPM, to assess CORT reactivity. Monoamine levels were determined in the hypothalamus (HPT), frontal cortex (FC), amygdala (AMY), ventral, and dorsal hippocampus (vHPC, dHPC, respectively). MD reduced food intake, in the home-cage, and latency to eat in the NSF in both sexes; females explored less the target animal in the SIT and explored more the open arms of the EPM than males; the CORT response to the EPM was greater in maternally-deprived males and females than in their control counterparts, and this response was further elevated in maternally-deprived females injected with saline. Regarding monoamine levels, females were less affected, showing isolated effects of the stressors, while in males, MD increased 5-HT levels in the HPT and decreased this monoamine in the FC, MD associated with saline reduced dopamine levels in all brain regions, except the HPT. MD at 11 days did not alter emotional behaviors in adult rats, but had an impact in neurobiological parameters associated with this class of behaviors. The impact of MD associated with saline on dopamine levels suggests that males may be vulnerable to motivation-related disorders.

  8. Use of transsplenic injection of agitated saline and heparinized blood for the ultrasonographic diagnosis of macroscopic portosystemic shunts in dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gómez-Ochoa, Pablo; Llabrés-Díaz, Francisco; Ruiz, Sergio; Corda, Andrea; Prieto, Saul; Sosa, Ivan; Gregori, Tommaso; Gascón, Manuel; Couto, Guillermo C

    2011-01-01

    We describe the use of ultrasonography-guided percutaneous splenic injection of agitated saline and heparinized blood for the diagnosis of portosystemic shunts (PSS) in 34 dogs. Agitated saline mixed with 1 ml of heparinized autologous blood was injected into the spleen of 34 sedated dogs under sonographic guidance. The transducer was then sequentially repositioned to visualize the portal vein, the caudal vena cava, and the right atrium through different acoustic windows. It was possible to differentiate between intrahepatic and extrahepatic shunts depending on the entry point of the microbubbles into the caudal vena cava. Portoazygos shunts and portocaval shunts could be differentiated based on the presence of microbubbles in the caudal vena cava and/or the right atrium. In one dog, collateral circulation due to portal hypertension was identified. In dogs with a single extrahepatic shunt, the microbubbles helped identify the shunting vessel. The technique was also used postoperatively to assess the efficacy of shunt closure. All abnormal vessels were confirmed by exploratory laparotomy or with ultrasonographic identification of the shunting vessel. Ultrasound-guided transsplenic injection of agitated saline with heparinized blood should be considered as a valuable technique for the diagnosis of PSS; it is easy to perform, safe, and the results are easily reproducible.

  9. Short Term Analgesic Effects of 5% Dextrose Epidural Injections for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maniquis-Smigel, Liza; Dean Reeves, Kenneth; Jeffrey Rosen, Howard; Lyftogt, John; Graham-Coleman, Cassie; Cheng, An-Lin; Rabago, David

    2017-02-01

    Hypertonic dextrose injection (prolotherapy) is reported to reduce pain including non-surgical chronic low back pain (CLBP), and subcutaneous injection of 5% dextrose is reported to reduce neurogenic pain, hyperalgesia and allodynia. The mechanism in both cases is unclear, though a direct effect of dextrose on neurogenic pain has been proposed. This study assessed the short-term analgesic effects of epidural 5% dextrose injection compared with saline for non-surgical CLBP. Randomized double-blind (injector, participant) controlled trial. Adults with moderate-to-severe non-surgical low back pain with radiation to gluteal or leg areas for at least 6 months received a single epidurogram-confirmed epidural injection of 10 mL of 5% dextrose or 0.9% saline using a published vertical caudal injection technique. The primary outcome was change in a numerical rating scale (NRS, 0 - 10 points) pain score between baseline and 15 minutes; and 2, 4, and 48 hours and 2 weeks post-injection. The secondary outcome was percentage of participants achieving 50% or more pain improvement at 4 hours. No baseline differences existed between groups; 35 participants (54 ± 10.7 years old; 11 female) with moderate-to-severe CLBP (6.7 ± 1.3 points) for 10.6 ± 10.5 years. Dextrose participants reported greater NRS pain score change at 15 minutes (4.4 ± 1.7 vs 2.4 ± 2.8 points; P = 0.015), 2 hours (4.6 ± 1.9 vs 1.8 ± 2.8 points; P = 0.001), 4 hours (4.6 ± 2.0 vs 1.4 ± 2.3 points; P dextrose recipients and 19% (3/16) of saline recipients reported ≥ 50% pain reduction at 4 hours (P dextrose on pain at the dorsal root level; waning pain control at 2 weeks suggests the need to assess the effect of serial dextrose epidural injections in a long-term study with robust outcome assessment.

  10. Clinical Outcomes of Knee Osteoarthritis Treated With an Autologous Protein Solution Injection: A 1-Year Pilot Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kon, Elizaveta; Engebretsen, Lars; Verdonk, Peter; Nehrer, Stefan; Filardo, Giuseppe

    2018-01-01

    Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating disease resulting in substantial pain and functional limitations. A novel blood derivative has been developed to concentrate both growth factors and antagonists of inflammatory cytokines, with promising preliminary findings in terms of safety profile and clinical improvement. To investigate if one intra-articular injection of autologous protein solution (APS) can reduce pain and improve function in patients affected by knee OA in a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, saline-controlled study. Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2. Forty-six patients with unilateral knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence 2 or 3) were randomized into the APS group (n = 31), which received a single ultrasound-guided injection of APS, and the saline (control) group (n = 15), which received a single saline injection. Patient-reported outcomes and adverse events were collected at 2 weeks and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months through visual analog scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Short Form-36 (SF-36), Clinical Global Impression of Severity/Change (CGI-S/C), Patient Global Impression of Severity/Change (PGI-S/C), and Outcome Measures in Rheumatology-Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OMERACT-OARSI) responder rate. Imaging evaluation was also performed with radiograph and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after treatment (12 months and 3 and 12 months, respectively). The safety profile was positive, with no significant differences in frequency and severity of adverse events between groups. The improvement from baseline to 2 weeks and to 1, 3, and 6 months was similar between treatments. At 12 months, improvement in WOMAC pain score was 65% in the APS group and 41% in the saline group ( P = .02). There were no significant differences in VAS pain improvement between groups. At 12 months, APS group showed improved SF-36 Bodily Pain

  11. Changes of hypertonic saline-induced masseter muscle pain characteristics, by an infusion of the serotonin receptor type 3 antagonist granisetron.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christidis, Nikolaos; Ioannidou, Kiriaki; Milosevic, Milena; Segerdahl, Märta; Ernberg, Malin

    2008-10-01

    This study aimed to investigate whether granisetron reduces masseter muscle pain and allodynia induced by hypertonic saline. Fifteen healthy women and 15 age-matched healthy men participated in this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study. They first received bilateral injections of hypertonic saline into the masseter muscles (internal control). The evoked pain intensity and the pressure-pain threshold (PPT) were recorded during 30 minutes. Granisetron was then injected on one side and placebo (normal saline) on the contralateral side. Two minutes thereafter, the hypertonic saline injections were repeated. Pain and PPT were again recorded. The first injection of hypertonic saline induced pain of similar intensity, duration, and pain area on both sides, but with larger pain area in the women (P = .017). The PPT did not change significantly. The second injection of hypertonic saline induced considerably less pain (62.5%), of shorter duration (44.1%), and of smaller area (77.4%) on the side pretreated with granisetron (P = .005). The PPT was increased on the granisetron side in the men (P = .002). The results of this study show that local injection of a single dose of granisetron attenuates masseter muscle pain induced by hypertonic saline. This article presents the changes of hypertonic saline-induced masseter muscle pain characteristics by infusion of granisetron. It appears that the pain-inducing effect in this experimental pain model is partly due to activation of 5-HT3-receptors. Hence, the results indicate that granisetron might offer a new treatment approach for localized myofascial pain.

  12. Ultrasound-Guided Injection Therapy of Achilles Tendinopathy With Platelet-Rich Plasma or Saline

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krogh, Thøger P.; Ellingsen, Torkell; Christensen, Robin

    2016-01-01

    controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. METHODS: A total of 24 patients with chronic AT (median disease duration, 33 months) were randomized (1:1) to receive either a blinded injection of PRP (n = 12) or saline (n = 12). The primary endpoint was improvement in Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment......-Achilles (VISA-A) score at 3 months. Secondary outcomes were pain at rest, pain while walking, pain when tendon was squeezed, ultrasonographic changes in tendon thickness, and color Doppler activity. Patients were informed that they could drop out after 3 months if they were dissatisfied with the treatment......, -0.5 to 3.7; P = .137), pain while walking (MD, 0.8; 95% CI, -1.8 to 3.3; P = .544), pain when tendon was squeezed (MD, 0.3; 95% CI, -0.2 to 0.9; P = .208), color Doppler activity (MD, 0.3; 95% CI, -0.2 to 0.8; P = .260), and tendon thickness (MD, 0.8 mm; 95% CI, 0.1 to 1.6 mm; P = .030). After the 3...

  13. Experimental pain in human temporal muscle induced by hypertonic saline, potassium and acidity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, K; Norup, M

    1992-01-01

    chloride (n = 12) induced significantly more pain than isotonic saline (ANOVA, p less than 0.0001). Compared to control injections, hypertonic saline and potassium chloride induced a significant reduction in pressure-pain threshold (ANOVA, p less than 0.0001 and p less than 0.05). Forty-eight percent...

  14. Modulation of jaw muscle spindle afferent activity following intramuscular injections with hypertonic saline.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ro, J Y; Capra, N F

    2001-05-01

    Transient noxious chemical stimulation of small diameter muscle afferents modulates jaw movement-related responses of caudal brainstem neurons. While it is likely that the effect is mediated from the spindle afferents in the mesencephalic nucleus (Vmes) via the caudally projecting Probst's tract, the mechanisms of pain induced modulations of jaw muscle spindle afferents is not known. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that jaw muscle nociceptors gain access to muscle spindle afferents in the same muscle via central mechanisms and alter their sensitivity. Thirty-five neurons recorded from the Vmes were characterized as muscle spindle afferents based on their responses to passive jaw movements, muscle palpation, and electrical stimulation of the masseter nerve. Each cell was tested by injecting a small volume (250 microl) of either 5% hypertonic and/or isotonic saline into the receptor-bearing muscle. Twenty-nine units were tested with 5% hypertonic saline, of which 79% (23/29) showed significant modulation of mean firing rates (MFRs) during one or more phases of ramp-and-hold movements. Among the muscle spindle primary-like units (n = 12), MFRs of 4 units were facilitated, five reduced, two showed mixed responses and one unchanged. In secondary-like units (n = 17), MFRs of 9 were facilitated, three reduced and five unchanged. Thirteen units were tested with isotonic saline, of which 77% showed no significant changes of MFRs. Further analysis revealed that the hypertonic saline not only affected the overall output of muscle spindle afferents, but also increased the variability of firing and altered the relationship between afferent signal and muscle length. These results demonstrated that activation of muscle nociceptors significantly affects proprioceptive properties of jaw muscle spindles via central neural mechanisms. The changes can have deleterious effects on oral motor function as well as kinesthetic sensibility.

  15. The effect of four-phasic versus three-phasic contrast media injection protocols on extravasation rate in coronary CT angiography: a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karády, Júlia; Panajotu, Alexisz; Kolossváry, Márton; Szilveszter, Bálint; Jermendy, Ádám L; Bartykowszki, Andrea; Károlyi, Mihály; Celeng, Csilla; Merkely, Béla; Maurovich-Horvat, Pál

    2017-11-01

    Contrast media (CM) extravasation is a well-known complication of CT angiography (CTA). Our prospective randomized control study aimed to assess whether a four-phasic CM administration protocol reduces the risk of extravasation compared to the routinely used three-phasic protocol in coronary CTA. Patients referred to coronary CTA due to suspected coronary artery disease were included in the study. All patients received 400 mg/ml iomeprol CM injected with dual-syringe automated injector. Patients were randomized into a three-phasic injection-protocol group, with a CM bolus of 85 ml followed by 40 ml of 75%:25% saline/CM mixture and 30 ml saline chaser bolus; and a four-phasic injection-protocol group, with a saline pacer bolus of 10 ml injected at a lower flow rate before the three-phasic protocol. 2,445 consecutive patients were enrolled (mean age 60.6 ± 12.1 years; females 43.6%). Overall rate of extravasation was 0.9% (23/2,445): 1.4% (17/1,229) in the three-phasic group and 0.5% (6/1,216) in the four-phasic group (p = 0.034). Four-phasic CM administration protocol is easy to implement in the clinical routine at no extra cost. The extravasation rate is reduced by 65% with the application of the four-phasic protocol compared to the three-phasic protocol in coronary CTA. • Four-phasic CM injection-protocol reduces extravasation rate by 65% compared to three-phasic. • The saline pacer bolus substantially reduces the risk of CM extravasation. • The implementation of four-phasic injection-protocol is at no cost.

  16. Intralesional saline injection for effective ultrasound-guided aspiration of benign viscous cystic thyroid nodules

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eun Sook Ko

    2014-04-01

    Results: The mean volume of the cystic nodules before aspiration was 11.0 mL (range, 1.2 to 26.0 mL, while the postaspiration volume was 4.2 mL (range, 0.2 to 14.5 mL. The mean aspirated volume was 63.7% of the initial volume. The mean procedure time was 12.4 minutes (range, 5 to 26 minutes. There were no significant complications related to the procedure. Conclusion: A vigorous saline injection followed by aspiration can be a useful method to aspirate viscous cystic thyroid nodules as a prestep for further intervention or simple management..

  17. Injection-controlled laser resonator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, J.J.

    1995-07-18

    A new injection-controlled laser resonator incorporates self-filtering and self-imaging characteristics with an efficient injection scheme. A low-divergence laser signal is injected into the resonator, which enables the injection signal to be converted to the desired resonator modes before the main laser pulse starts. This injection technique and resonator design enable the laser cavity to improve the quality of the injection signal through self-filtering before the main laser pulse starts. The self-imaging property of the present resonator reduces the cavity induced diffraction effects and, in turn, improves the laser beam quality. 5 figs.

  18. Dextrose saline compared with normal saline rehydration of hyperemesis gravidarum: a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Peng Chiong; Norazilah, Mat Jin; Omar, Siti Zawiah

    2013-02-01

    To compare 5% dextrose-0.9% saline against 0.9% saline solution in the intravenous rehydration of hyperemesis gravidarum. Women at their first hospitalization for hyperemesis gravidarum were enrolled on admission to the ward and randomly assigned to receive either 5% dextrose-0.9% saline or 0.9% saline by intravenous infusion at a rate 125 mL/h over 24 hours in a double-blind trial. All participants also received thiamine and an antiemetic intravenously. Oral intake was allowed as tolerated. Primary outcomes were resolution of ketonuria and well-being (by 10-point visual numerical rating scale) at 24 hours. Nausea visual numerical rating scale scores were obtained every 8 hours for 24 hours. Persistent ketonuria rates after the 24-hour study period were 10 of 101 (9.9%) compared with 11 of 101 (10.9%) (P>.99; relative risk 0.9, 95% confidence interval 0.4-2.2) and median (interquartile range) well-being scores at 24 hours were 9 (8-10) compared with 9 (8-9.5) (P=.73) in the 5% dextrose-0.9% saline and 0.9% saline arms, respectively. Repeated measures analysis of variance of the nausea visual numerical rating scale score as assessed every 8 hours during the 24-hour study period showed a significant difference in favor of the 5% dextrose-0.9% saline arm (P=.046) with the superiority apparent at 8 and 16 hours, but the advantage had dissipated by 24 hours. Secondary outcomes of vomiting, resolution of hyponatremia, hypochloremia and hypokalemia, length of hospitalization, duration of intravenous antiemetic, and rehydration were not different. Intravenous rehydration with 5% dextrose-0.9% saline or 0.9% saline solution in women hospitalized for hyperemesis gravidarum produced similar outcomes. ISRCTN Register, www.controlled-trials.com/isrctn, ISRCTN65014409. I.

  19. Salinity controls on plant transpiration and soil water balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perri, S.; Molini, A.; Suweis, S. S.; Viola, F.; Entekhabi, D.

    2017-12-01

    Soil salinization and aridification represent a major threat for the food security and sustainable development of drylands. The two problems are deeply connected, and their interplay is expected to be further enhanced by climate change and projected population growth. Salt-affected land is currently estimated to cover around 1.1 Gha, and is particularly widespread in semi-arid to hyper-arid climates. Over 900 Mha of these saline/sodic soils are potentially available for crop or biomass production. Salt-tolerant plants have been recently proposed as valid solution to exploit or even remediate salinized soils. However the effects of salinity on evapotranspiration, soil water balance and the long-term salt mass balance in the soil, are still largely unexplored. In this contribution we analyze the feedback of evapotranspiration on soil salinization, with particular emphasis on the role of vegetation and plant salt-tolerance. The goal is to introduce a simple modeling framework able to shed some light on how (a) soil salinity controls plant transpiration, and (b) salinization itself is favored/impeded by different vegetation feedback. We introduce at this goal a spatially lumped stochastic model of soil moisture and salt mass dynamics averaged over the active soil depth, and accounting for the effect of salinity on evapotranspiration. Here, the limiting effect of salinity on ET is modeled through a simple plant response function depending on both salt concentration in the soil and plant salt-tolerance. The coupled soil moisture and salt mass balance is hence used to obtain the conditional steady-state probability density function (pdf) of soil moisture for given salt tolerance and salinization level, Our results show that salinity imposes a limit in the soil water balance and this limit depends on plant salt-tolerance mainly through the control of the leaching occurrence (tolerant plants exploit water more efficiently than the sensitive ones). We also analyzed the

  20. Epicardial Ablation: Prevention of Phrenic Nerve Damage by Pericardial Injection of Saline and the Use of a Steerable Sheath

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kars Neven, MD

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Because of the close proximity of the phrenic nerve to the pericardium, phrenic nerve damage caused by epicardial ablation can easily occur. We report two cases of epicardial VT ablation where pericardial injection of saline, combined with the use of a steerable sheath, successfully prevents the phrenic nerve from being damaged.

  1. Optimising corticosteroid injection for lateral epicondylalgia with the addition of physiotherapy: A protocol for a randomised control trial with placebo comparison

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brooks Peter

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Corticosteroid injection and physiotherapy are two commonly prescribed interventions for management of lateral epicondylalgia. Corticosteroid injections are the most clinically efficacious in the short term but are associated with high recurrence rates and delayed recovery, while physiotherapy is similar to injections at 6 weeks but with significantly lower recurrence rates. Whilst practitioners frequently recommend combining physiotherapy and injection to overcome harmful effects and improve outcomes, study of the benefits of this combination of treatments is lacking. Clinicians are also faced with the paradox that the powerful anti-inflammatory corticosteroid injections work well, albeit in the short term, for a non-inflammatory condition like lateral epicondylalgia. Surprisingly, these injections have not been rigorously tested against placebo injections. This study primarily addresses both of these issues. Methods A randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial with a 2 × 2 factorial design will evaluate the clinical efficacy, cost-effectiveness and recurrence rates of adding physiotherapy to an injection. In addition, the clinical efficacy and adverse effects of corticosteroid injection beyond that of a placebo saline injection will be studied. 132 participants with a diagnosis of lateral epicondylalgia will be randomly assigned by concealed allocation to one of four treatment groups – corticosteroid injection, saline injection, corticosteroid injection with physiotherapy or saline injection with physiotherapy. Physiotherapy will comprise 8 sessions of elbow manipulation and exercise over an 8 week period. Blinded follow-up assessments will be conducted at baseline, 4, 8, 12, 26 and 52 weeks after randomisation. The primary outcome will be a participant rating of global improvement, from which measures of success and recurrence will be derived. Analyses will be conducted on an intention-to-treat basis using linear

  2. Numerical simulation methods applied to injection and storage of CO{sub 2} in saline aquifers; Metodos de simulacion numerica aplicados a la inyeccion y almacenamiento de CO{sub 2} en formaciones salinas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arjona Garcia-Borreguero, J.; Rodriguez Pons-Esparver, R.; Iglesias Lopez, A.

    2015-07-01

    One of the Climate Change mitigation proposals suggested by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) in its Synthesis Report 2007 involves the launch of applications for capturing and storing carbon dioxide, existing three different geological structures suitable for gas storage: oil and gas depleted reservoirs, useless coal layers and deep saline structures. In case of deep saline structures, the main problem to prepare a study of CO{sub 2} storage is the difficulty of obtaining geological data for some selected structure with characteristics that could be suitable for injection and gas storage. According to this situation, the solution to analyze the feasibility of a storage project in a geological structure will need numerical simulation from a 3D terrain model. Numerical methods allow the simulation of the carbon dioxide filling in saline structures from a well, used to inject gas with a particular flow. This paper presents a methodology to address the modeling and simulation process of CO{sub 2} injection into deep saline aquifers. (Author)

  3. The effect of four-phasic versus three-phasic contrast media injection protocols on extravasation rate in coronary CT angiography. A randomized controlled trial

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karady, Julia; Panajotu, Alexisz; Kolossvary, Marton; Szilveszter, Balint; Jermendy, Adam L.; Bartykowszki, Andrea; Karolyi, Mihaly; Celeng, Csilla; Merkely, Bela; Maurovich-Horvat, Pal [Semmelweis University, MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Budapest (Hungary)

    2017-11-15

    Contrast media (CM) extravasation is a well-known complication of CT angiography (CTA). Our prospective randomized control study aimed to assess whether a four-phasic CM administration protocol reduces the risk of extravasation compared to the routinely used three-phasic protocol in coronary CTA. Patients referred to coronary CTA due to suspected coronary artery disease were included in the study. All patients received 400 mg/ml iomeprol CM injected with dual-syringe automated injector. Patients were randomized into a three-phasic injection-protocol group, with a CM bolus of 85 ml followed by 40 ml of 75%:25% saline/CM mixture and 30 ml saline chaser bolus; and a four-phasic injection-protocol group, with a saline pacer bolus of 10 ml injected at a lower flow rate before the three-phasic protocol. 2,445 consecutive patients were enrolled (mean age 60.6 ± 12.1 years; females 43.6%). Overall rate of extravasation was 0.9% (23/2,445): 1.4% (17/1,229) in the three-phasic group and 0.5% (6/1,216) in the four-phasic group (p = 0.034). Four-phasic CM administration protocol is easy to implement in the clinical routine at no extra cost. The extravasation rate is reduced by 65% with the application of the four-phasic protocol compared to the three-phasic protocol in coronary CTA. (orig.)

  4. Multiple PRP injections are more effective than single injections and hyaluronic acid in knees with early osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Görmeli, Gökay; Görmeli, Cemile Ayşe; Ataoglu, Baybars; Çolak, Cemil; Aslantürk, Okan; Ertem, Kadir

    2017-03-01

    To compare the effectiveness of intraarticular (IA) multiple and single platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections as well as hyaluronic acid (HA) injections in different stages of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. A total of 162 patients with different stages of knee OA were randomly divided into four groups receiving 3 IA doses of PRP, one dose of PRP, one dose of HA or a saline injection (control). Then, each group was subdivided into two groups: early OA (Kellgren-Lawrence grade 0 with cartilage degeneration or grade I-III) and advanced OA (Kellgren-Lawrence grade IV). The patients were evaluated before the injection and at the 6-month follow-ups using the EuroQol visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective scores. Adverse events and patient satisfaction were recorded. There was a statistically significant improvement in the IKDC and EQ-VAS scores in all the treatment groups compared with the control group. The knee scores of patients treated with three PRP injections were significantly better than those patients of the other groups. There was no significant difference in the scores of patients injected with one dose of PRP or HA. In the early OA subgroups, significantly better clinical results were achieved in the patients treated with three PRP injections, but there was no significant difference in the clinical results of patients with advanced OA among the treatment groups. The clinical results of this study suggest IA PRP and HA treatment for all stages of knee OA. For patients with early OA, multiple (3) PRP injections are useful in achieving better clinical results. For patients with advanced OA, multiple injections do not significantly improve the results of patients in any group. I.

  5. Dual fuel injection piggyback controller system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muji, Siti Zarina Mohd.; Hassanal, Muhammad Amirul Hafeez; Lee, Chua King; Fawzi, Mas; Zulkifli, Fathul Hakim

    2017-09-01

    Dual-fuel injection is an effort to reduce the dependency on diesel and gasoline fuel. Generally, there are two approaches to implement the dual-fuel injection in car system. The first approach is changing the whole injector of the car engine, the consequence is excessive high cost. Alternatively, it also can be achieved by manipulating the system's control signal especially the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) signal. Hence, the study focuses to develop a dual injection timing controller system that likely adopted to control injection time and quantity of compressed natural gas (CNG) and diesel fuel. In this system, Raspberry Pi 3 reacts as main controller unit to receive ECU signal, analyze it and then manipulate its duty cycle to be fed into the Electronic Driver Unit (EDU). The manipulation has changed the duty cycle to two pulses instead of single pulse. A particular pulse mainly used to control injection of diesel fuel and another pulse controls injection of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The test indicated promising results that the system can be implemented in the car as piggyback system. This article, which was originally published online on 14 September 2017, contained an error in the acknowledgment section. The corrected acknowledgment appears in the Corrigendum attached to the pdf.

  6. Mycobacterium massiliense outbreak after intramuscular injection, South Korea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, H J; Cho, Y; Lee, S; Kook, Y; Lee, D; Lee, J; Park, B J

    2012-10-01

    SUMMARY We conducted an epidemic investigation to discover the route of transmission and the host factors of an outbreak of post-injection abscesses. Of the 2984 patients who visited a single clinic, 77 cases were identified and 208 age- and sex-matched controls were selected for analysis. Injected medications per se were not found to be responsible, and a deviation from safe injection practice suggested the likelihood of diluent contamination. Therefore the injected medications were classified according to whether there was a need for a diluent, and two medications showed a statistically significant association, i.e. injection with pheniramine [adjusted odds ratios (aOR) 5·93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2·97-11·87] and ribostamycin (aOR 47·95, 95% CI 11·08-207·53). However, when considered concurrently, pheniramine lost statistical significance (aOR 8·71, 95% CI 0·44-171·61) suggesting that normal saline was the causative agent of this outbreak. Epidemiological evidence strongly suggested that this post-injection outbreak was caused by saline contaminated with Mycobacterium massiliense without direct microbiological evidence.

  7. Oxytocin injections in the postpartal period affect mammary tight junctions in sows

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Farmer, C.; Lessard, M.; Knight, C. H.

    2017-01-01

    The potential impacts of injecting oxytocin (OXY) to sows in the early postpartum period on the quality of mammary tight junctions, milk composition, and immune status of sows and piglets were studied. Postparturient sows received i.m. injections of either saline (control [CTL]; n = 10) or 75 IU ...

  8. Effects of hypertonic dextrose injections in the rabbit carpal tunnel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshii, Yuichi; Zhao, Chunfeng; Schmelzer, James D; Low, Phillip A; An, Kai-Nan; Amadio, Peter C

    2011-07-01

    This study investigated the effects of different doses of hypertonic dextrose injection on the carpal tunnel subsynovial connective tissue (SSCT) and median nerve in a rabbit model. Thirty-eight New Zealand white rabbits weighing 4.0-4.5 kg were used. One forepaw carpal tunnel was randomly injected with one of five different treatments: saline-single injection; saline-two injections 1 week apart; 10% dextrose-single injection; 20% dextrose-single injection; or 10% dextrose-two injections 1 week apart. Animals were sacrificed at 12 weeks after the initial injection and were evaluated by electrophysiology (EP), SSCT mechanical testing and histology. There were significant increases in the energy absorption of the SSCT in the 10% dextrose-double injection group compared to the saline injection groups. SSCT stiffness was also significantly increased in the 10% dextrose-double injection group compared to the other groups. There was a significant increase in the thickness of the SSCT in the 10% dextrose-double injection group compared to the saline-single injection group and a significant decrease in the nerve short-long diameter ratio in the 10% dextrose-double injection group compared to the saline-single injection group. There were no changes in EP among the groups. SSCT fibrosis is present for up to 12 weeks after dextrose injection; multiple injections have bigger effects, including what appears to be a secondary change in nerve flattening. This model may be useful to study the effects of external fibrosis on nerve morphology and physiology, such as occurs clinically in carpal tunnel syndrome. Copyright © 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society.

  9. Numerical Simulation of Multiphase Hydromechanical Processes Induced by CO2 Injection into Deep Saline Aquifers Simulation numérique des processus hydromécaniques polyphasiques provoqués par l’injection de CO2 dans des aquifères salins profonds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Goerke U.-J.

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the conceptual modeling and the numerical simulation of two-phase flow during CO2 injection into deep saline aquifers is presented. The work focuses on isothermal short-term processes in the vicinity of the injection well. Governing differential equations are based on balance laws for mass and momentum, and completed by constitutive relations for the fluid and solid phases as well as their mutual interactions. Constraint conditions for the partial saturations and the pressure fractions of CO2 and brine are defined. To characterize the stress state in the solid matrix, the effective stress principle is applied. The coupled problem is solved using the inhouse scientific code OpenGeoSys (an open source finite element code and verified with benchmarks. Cet article présente le concept de la modélisation ainsi que la simulation numérique d’écoulement biphasé lors de l’injection de CO2 dans des aquifères salins profonds. L’étude se concentre sur des processus à court terme dans la proximité de puits d’injection dans les conditions isothermes. Les équations différentielles principales sont dérivées des équations de bilan de masse et de la quantité de mouvement, et elles sont complétées par des relations constitutives pour des phases solides et fluides ainsi que leur interaction. Les conditions de contrainte sont définies pour la saturation partielle, les fractions de pression de CO2 et l’eau salée. Pour caractériser l’état de contrainte dans la matrice solide, le principe de contrainte effective est appliqué. Le problème couplé considéré est résolu en utilisant le logiciel scientifique interne OpenGeoSys (un logiciel d’éléments finis libre d’accès et vérifié avec des exemples pour les processus concernés.

  10. Mechanical and Controlled PRP Injections in Patients Affected by Androgenetic Alopecia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gentile, Pietro; Garcovich, Simone; Scioli, Maria Giovanna; Bielli, Alessandra; Orlandi, Augusto; Cervelli, Valerio

    2018-01-27

    23 patients (18 male and 5 female) aged 21-70 years who displayed male pattern hair loss (MPHL) in Stage 1 to Stage 5 as determined by the Norwood-Hamilton classification scale, and female pattern hair loss (FPHL) in Stage 1 to Stage 2 as determined by the Ludwig classification scale, were treated with non-activated autologous platelet-rich plasma (A-PRP). Autologous blood (55 mL) was harvested using sodium citrate as an anticoagulant. A-PRP (23 mL) was produced for all cases using a closed system according to the transfusion service protocol. Following centrifugation (260 x g for 10 min) the A-PRP was inserted in a laser light selector device, and after the centrifugation, 9 mL of A-PRP was collected. The scalp of the patients affected by androgenetic alopecia (AGA) was divided into four areas (frontal, parietal, vertex, and occipital); local anesthesia was not performed. Interfollicular A-PRP injections (0.2 mL x cm 2 ) were performed by controlled and mechanical injections scheduled at a depth of 5 mm using a medical injector gun. Treatment sessions were performed with a 30-day interval. For each patient, three treatment sessions were performed. PRP was injected in the androgen-related areas of scalp affected by hair loss. Placebo (normal saline solution) was loaded in another syringe (10 mL) and injected on the adjacent side in a similar fashion.

  11. "FOLEY CATHETER CERVICAL RIPENING WITH EXTRAAMNIOTIC INFUSION OF SALINE OR CORTICOSTEROIDS: A DOUBLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.Sh. Zafarghandi

    2004-10-01

    Full Text Available Induction of labor is one of the most common procedures during pregnancy. Various methods for cervical ripening and labor induction have been described in the obstetrics literature; but the role of corticosteroids in the process of labor is not entirely understood. This study challenged the possible role of corticosteroids in induction of labor by extra-amniotic injection through an inflated intracervical Foley balloon catheter. This randomized trial was conducted on 44 women with a single pregnancy, intact membranes, and an unfavorable cervix. They were randomly assigned to receive either 20 mg of dexamethasone in saline solution (study group, n=22 or saline solution only (control group, n=22 administered extra-amniotically through an intracervical inflated Foley balloon catheter. Eighteen (81.8% patients in the study group and 20 (90.9% in the control group entered the active phase of labor and were delivered vaginally. The mean time intervals between induction of labor to the active phase and between induction of labor to delivery were significantly shorter in the study group compared with those of the control group (3.3±2.1 hours vs. 9±4.7 hours, P<0.01, 5.7±3.4 hours vs. 6.9±4.7 hours, P<0.01, respectively. There was no maternal or fetal complication in study or control group. The intracervical Foley balloon catheter with extra-amniotic corticosteroids was more efficient in reducing the induction-to-delivery interval for termination of midtrimester pregnancies than the same Foley catheter with saline solution only. Cervical ripening with extra-amniotic corticosteroids possesses the advantages of simplicity, low cost, and lack of systemic or serious side effects.

  12. Acupuncture point injection treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea: a randomised, double blind, controlled study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wade, C; Wang, L; Zhao, W J; Cardini, F; Kronenberg, F; Gui, S Q; Ying, Z; Zhao, N Q; Chao, M T; Yu, J

    2016-01-05

    To determine if injection of vitamin K3 in an acupuncture point is optimal for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea, when compared with 2 other injection treatments. A Menstrual Disorder Centre at a public hospital in Shanghai, China. Chinese women aged 14-25 years with severe primary dysmenorrhoea for at least 6 months not relieved by any other treatment were recruited. Exclusion criteria were the use of oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices or anticoagulant drugs, pregnancy, history of abdominal surgery, participation in other therapies for pain and diagnosis of secondary dysmenorrhoea. Eighty patients with primary dysmenorrhoea, as defined on a 4-grade scale, completed the study. Two patients withdrew after randomisation. A double-blind, double-dummy, randomised controlled trial compared vitamin K3 acupuncture point injection to saline acupuncture point injection and vitamin K3 deep muscle injection. Patients in each group received 3 injections at a single treatment visit. The primary outcome was the difference in subjective perception of pain as measured by an 11 unit Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Secondary measurements were Cox Pain Intensity and Duration scales and the consumption of analgesic tablets before and after treatment and during 6 following cycles. Patients in all 3 groups experienced pain relief from the injection treatments. Differences in NRS measured mean pain scores between the 2 active control groups were less than 1 unit (-0.71, CI -1.37 to -0.05) and not significant, but the differences in average scores between the treatment hypothesised to be optimal and both active control groups (1.11, CI 0.45 to 1.78) and (1.82, CI 1.45 to 2.49) were statistically significant in adjusted mixed-effects models. Menstrual distress and use of analgesics were diminished for 6 months post-treatment. Acupuncture point injection of vitamin K3 relieves menstrual pain rapidly and is a useful treatment in an urban outpatient clinic. NCT00104546; Results

  13. Effect of saline loading on uranium-induced acute renal failure in rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hishida, A.; Yonemura, K.; Ohishi, K.; Yamada, M.; Honda, N.

    1988-01-01

    Studies were performed to examine the effect of saline loading on uranium-induced acute renal failure (ARF) in rats. Forty-eight hours after the i.v. injection of uranyl acetate (UA, 5 mg/kg), inulin clearance rate (Cin) decreased to approximately 43% of the control value in water drinking rats (P less than 0.005). Animals receiving continuous isotonic saline infusion following UA showed higher urine flow and Cin (60% of control, P less than 0.01), and lessened intratubular cast formation when compared with water-drinking ARF rats. A short-term saline infusion following UA did not attenuate the decline in Cin (43% of control). An inverse relationship was found between Cin and the number of casts (r = -0.75, P less than 0.01). Multiple regression analysis showed that standardized partial regression coefficient is statistically significant between Cin and cast formation (-0.69, P less than 0.05), but not between Cin and tubular necrosis (-0.07, P greater than 0.05). Renin depletion caused by DOCA plus saline drinking did not attenuate the decline in Cin in ARF (47% of control). No significant difference was found in urinary uranium excretion between water-drinking and saline-infused ARF rats. The findings suggest that continuous saline infusion following UA attenuates the decline in Cin in ARF rats; and that this beneficial effect of saline loading is associated with lessened cast formation rather than with suppressed renin-angiotensin activity or enhanced urinary-uranium excretion

  14. Multifactorial control of water and saline intake: role of a2-adrenoceptors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L.A. De-Luca Jr.

    1997-04-01

    Full Text Available Water and saline intake is controlled by several mechanisms activated during dehydration. Some mechanisms, such as the production of angiotensin II and unloading of cardiovascular receptors, activate both behaviors, while others, such as the increase in blood osmolality or sodium concentration, activate water, but inhibit saline intake. Aldosterone probably activates only saline intake. Clonidine, an a2-adrenergic agonist, inhibits water and saline intake induced by these mechanisms. One model to describe the interactions between these multiple mechanisms is a wire-block diagram, where the brain circuit that controls each intake is represented by a summing point of its respective inhibiting and activating factors. The a2-adrenoceptors constitute an inhibitory factor common to both summing points

  15. Effects of in ovo injection of carbohydrates on embryonic metabolism, hatchability, and subsequent somatic characteristics of broiler hatchlings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhai, W; Gerard, P D; Pulikanti, R; Peebles, E D

    2011-10-01

    The effects of the in ovo injection of different carbohydrate solutions on the internal egg temperature (IT), hatchability, and time of hatch of embryonated Ross × Ross 708 broiler hatching eggs were determined. In addition, the BW, liver weight, yolk sac weight (YSW), and yolk-free BW (YFBW) of the embryos on d 19.5 of incubation and of the chicks on day of hatch were determined. Eggs containing live embryos were injected in the amnion on d 18.5 of incubation using an automated multiple-egg injector. Solution injections delivered 1.2 mL of physiological saline (0.85%) alone or with a supplemental carbohydrate. The following supplemental carbohydrates were separately dissolved in saline at a concentration of 0.3 g/mL: glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, and dextrin. Temperature transponders were implanted in the air cells of embryonated and nonembryonated eggs after in ovo injection for the detection of IT at 6, 14, and 22 h after injection. The IT of embryonated eggs was significantly greater than that of nonembryonated eggs at all 3 times after the treatment period. Eggs that were injected with saline with or without supplemental carbohydrates experienced a reduction in IT when compared with control eggs whose shells were perforated without solution delivery, and the decrease in IT was associated with a delay in hatch time. Liver weight was negatively related to YSW and positively related to YFBW, and YSW was negatively related to YFBW. Although the saline and carbohydrate solution injections increased chick BW compared with noninjected controls, chick YFBW was decreased in the maltose- and sucrose-injected groups. In conclusion, the injection of 1.2 mL of saline with or without supplemental carbohydrates lowered embryonic metabolism, as reflected by a lower IT and a delay in time of hatch. However, effects of the different carbohydrate solutions on yolk absorption and tissue deposition in yolk-free embryos varied. These results suggest that lower volumes for

  16. Reduced injection pressures using a compressed air injection technique (CAIT): an in vitro study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsui, Ban C H; Knezevich, Mark P; Pillay, Jennifer J

    2008-01-01

    High injection pressures have been associated with intraneural injection and persistent neurological injury in animals. Our objective was to test whether a reported simple compressed air injection technique (CAIT) would limit the generation of injection pressures to below a suggested 1,034 mm Hg limit in an in vitro model. After ethics board approval, 30 consenting anesthesiologists injected saline into a semiclosed system. Injection pressures using 30 mL syringes connected to a 22 gauge needle and containing 20 mL of saline were measured for 60 seconds using: (1) a typical "syringe feel" method, and (2) CAIT, thereby drawing 10 mL of air above the saline and compressing this to 5 mL prior to and during injections. All anesthesiologists performed the syringe feel method before introduction and demonstration of CAIT. Using CAIT, no anesthesiologist generated pressures above 1,034 mm Hg, while 29 of 30 produced pressures above this limit at some time using the syringe feel method. The mean pressure using CAIT was lower (636 +/- 71 vs. 1378 +/- 194 mm Hg, P = .025), and the syringe feel method resulted in higher peak pressures (1,875 +/- 206 vs. 715 +/- 104 mm Hg, P = .000). This study demonstrated that CAIT can effectively keep injection pressures under 1,034 mm Hg in this in vitro model. Animal and clinical studies will be needed to determine whether CAIT will allow objective, real-time pressure monitoring. If high pressure injections are proven to contribute to nerve injury in humans, this technique may have the potential to improve the safety of peripheral nerve blocks.

  17. The effect of blood injection for the prevention of Ethanol reflux after intrahepatic Ethanol injection in the rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Kook Jin; Kim, Choon Yul; Kim, Bum Soo; Hahn, Seong Tai; Lee, Jae Mun; Shinn, Kyung Sub

    1998-01-01

    To reduce ethanol reflux from the needle channel by injecting rat blood immediately after the injection of ethanol into rat liver. The first experiment involved 33 rat livers which were divided into four groups (three livers in group 1;ten in groups 2, 3, and 4). Group 1 animals were used as controls, and 0.1ml saline was injected into the liver; in group 2, ethanol-Tc-99m-O 4 - mixed solution (0.1ml, 0.2mCi) was injected into the liver;in groups 3 and 4, the needle channel was blocked with 0.02ml of fresh blood and old blood, respectively, after the injection of ethanol. After removing the needle, a 3cm round filter paper was laid on each injection site to absorb refluxed ethanol-T c -99m-O 4 - mixed solution from the liver, and each paper was then counted by a gamma camera unit. In the second experiment, 33rats were divided into four groups (three rats in group 1;ten in groups 2, 3, and 4). Group 1 animals were used as controls, and after exposing the left lateral lobe of the liver, 0.05 ml of saline was injected;in group 2, 0.05 ml of ethanol was injected into the livder;in groups 3 and 4 the needle channel was blocked with 0.02 ml of fresh blood and old blood, respectively, after the injection of ethanol. After ten days, peritoneal adhesions were scored macroscopically and microscopically. In the first experiment using ethanol- T c -99m-O 4 - mixed solution, groups blocked with blood after the injection of mixed solution showed lower gamma counts than the group injected with mixed solution only (p-value=3D0.0002). The group blocked with old blood showed the lowest count. Macroscopical and microscopical examination of peritoneal adhesions indicated that the grade of adhesion was lower in groups blocked with blood than in the group injected with ethanol onluy (p-value=3D0.0261 and 0.0163, respectively). The above results suggest that an injection of blood after an injection of ethanol is a very effective way of preventing reflux from the liver.=20

  18. Radial oil injection applied to main engine bearings: evaluation of injection control rules

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Estupiñan, EA; Santos, Ilmar

    2012-01-01

    , the dynamic behaviour of the main bearing of a medium-size engine is theoretically analysed when the engine operates with controllable radial oil injection and four different injection control rules. The theoretical investigation is based on a single-cylinder combustion engine model. The performance......The performance of main bearings in a combustion engine affects key functions such as durability, noise and vibration. Thus, with the aim of reducing friction losses and vibrations between the crankshaft and the bearings, the work reported here evaluates different strategies for applying...... controllable radial oil injection to main crankshaft journal bearings. In an actively lubricated bearing, conventional hydrodynamic lubrication is combined with controllable hydrostatic lubrication, where the oil injection pressures can be modified depending on the operational conditions. In this study...

  19. Effect of prostaglandin E2 injection on the structural properties of the rat patellar tendon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ferry Scott T

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Increased tendon production of the inflammatory mediator prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 has been suggested to be a potential etiologic agent in the development of tendinopathy. Repeated injection of PGE2 into tendon has been proposed as a potential animal model for studying treatments for tendinopathy. In contrast, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs which inhibit PGE2 production and are commonly prescribed in treating tendinopathy have been shown to impair the healing of tendon after acute injury in animal models. The contradictory literature suggests the need to better define the functional effects of PGE2 on tendon. Our objective was to characterize the effects of PGE2 injection on the biomechanical and biochemical properties of tendon and the activity of the animals. Our hypothesis was that weekly PGE2 injection to the rat patellar tendon would lead to inferior biomechanical properties. Methods Forty rats were divided equally into four groups. Three groups were followed for 4 weeks with the following peritendinous injection procedures: No injection (control, 4 weekly injections of saline (saline, 4 weekly injections of 800 ng PGE2 (PGE2-4 wks. The fourth group received 4 weekly injections of 800 ng PGE2 initially and was followed for a total of 8 weeks. All animals were injected bilaterally. The main outcome measurements included: the structural and material properties of the patellar tendon under tensile loading to failure, tendon collagen content, and weekly animal activity scores. Results The ultimate load of PGE2-4 wks tendons at 4 weeks was significantly greater than control or saline group tendons. The stiffness and elastic modulus of the PGE2 injected tendons at 8 weeks was significantly greater than the control or saline tendons. No differences in animal activity, collagen content, or mean fibril diameter were observed between groups. Conclusions Four weekly peritendinous injections of PGE2 to the rat patellar

  20. Effect of EM Bokashi application on control of secondary soil salinization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shao Xiaohou

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available In order to ameliorate saline-alkaline soil, EM Bokashi has been applied to rice production in conjunction with subdrainage in Ningxia Autonomous Region and Zhejiang Province. The preliminary results can be summarized as follows: EM Bokashi can increase soil organic matter content, improve soil porosity and permeability, and raise the soil's levels of available nutrients; and EM Bokashi combined with subdrainage treatment is more effective in controlling secondary soil salinization and raising the grain yield and quality than other treatments. The results suggest that EM Bokashi can reduce the necessary amount of chemical fertilizer application, thereby improving the agricultural environment, and that the introduction of EM Bokashi into systems of secondary soil salinization control systems has resulted in significant benefits.

  1. Response of Blood Perfusion at ST 36 Acupoint after Drinking Cold Glucose or Saline Injection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guangjun Wang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Skin blood flux (SkBF changes caused by drinking cold water are generally associated with vagal tone and osmotic factors in digestive system. According to acupuncture theory, change of SkBF at ST 36 might reflect the functional changes of digestive system. The aim of this study is to analyze the changes of SkBF after drinking 3°C 0.9% saline or 5% glucose injection by monitor blood flux at bilateral ST 36. The results indicated that, after drinking different cold water, the change ratio of SkBF at right side ST 36 has been different. Because all solutions have the same temperature (3°C and both saline and glucose solution have the same osmolality, suggesting that the SkBF changes resulting from drinking cold water are not regulated just by the vagal tone and osmolality, there must have been other factors. These results have not been consistent with the frequency domain results of heart rate variability (HRV analysis. Coherence analysis of blood flux signals at bilateral ST 36 indicated that there have been different coherence-frequency curves among different groups in special frequency bands, which suggested that coherence analysis might provide a potential tool to evaluate different status.

  2. 78 FR 23246 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-18

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9804-8] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; BASF... exemption to the land disposal Restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste [[Page 23247...

  3. Effect of Paracetamol Pretreatment on Rocuronium-Induced Injection Pain: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Comparison with Lidocaine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gulnaz Ates

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Aim: To compare the effect of intravenous paracetamol on rocuronium-induced injection pain with that of lidocaine. Material and Method: One hundred and eighty patients scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia were recruited to this prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. A 20-gauge cannula was inserted into a vein on the dorsum of the patient%u2019s left hand and lactated Ringer%u2019s solution was infused at 100 ml/h. After 5 minutes, infusion was stopped and the left arm of the patient%u2019s was elevated for 15 seconds for gravity of venous blood. While venous occlusion was applied to the left upper arm using a pneumatic tourniquet, one of the pretreatment solutions (normal saline 5 mL, lidocaine 40 mg, paracetamol 50 mg was injected over a period of 10 seconds. The intensity of the pain patients experienced was assessed using a 4-point verbal rating scale in Group C (normal saline 5 mL, n=60, Group L (lidocaine 40 mg, n=60 and Group P (paracetamol 50 mg, n=60. After 2 minutes, the venous occlusion was released and the patients received 0.06 mg/kg rocuronim bromide over 10 seconds and the rocuronim-induced pain was assessed. Results: The overall incidence of rocuronium-induced injection pain was significantly more in Group C than the other groups (p

  4. 77 FR 26755 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-07

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9669-6] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; Diamond... reissuance of an exemption to the land disposal Restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste...

  5. 76 FR 55908 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-09

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9461-5] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; Great Lakes... of an exemption to the land disposal restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste...

  6. 76 FR 36129 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-21

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9321-3] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; ExxonMobil... disposal Restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and...

  7. 78 FR 42776 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-17

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL9834-8] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; Blanchard Refining... disposal Restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and...

  8. 77 FR 52717 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-30

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9724-1] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; Cornerstone... exemption to the land disposal Restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the...

  9. 76 FR 42125 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-18

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9440-3] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; ConocoPhillips... Restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act...

  10. 78 FR 76294 - Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-17

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9904-21-OW] Underground Injection Control Program; Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection; Mosaic... Restrictions, under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act...

  11. 75 FR 60457 - Underground Injection Control Program Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-30

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9208-4] Underground Injection Control Program Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions; Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection Dow Chemical Company (DOW... 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act have been...

  12. Repeated tender point injections of granisetron alleviate chronic myofascial pain--a randomized, controlled, double-blinded trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christidis, Nikolaos; Omrani, Shahin; Fredriksson, Lars; Gjelset, Mattias; Louca, Sofia; Hedenberg-Magnusson, Britt; Ernberg, Malin

    2015-01-01

    Serotonin (5-HT) mediates pain by peripheral 5-HT3-receptors. Results from a few studies indicate that intramuscular injections of 5-HT3-antagonists may reduce musculoskeletal pain. The aim of this study was to investigate if repeated intramuscular tender-point injections of the 5-HT3-antagonist granisetron alleviate pain in patients with myofascial temporomandibular disorders (M-TMD). This prospective, randomized, controlled, double blind, parallel-arm trial (RCT) was carried out during at two centers in Stockholm, Sweden. The randomization was performed by a researcher who did not participate in data collection with an internet-based application ( www.randomization.com ). 40 patients with a diagnose of M-TMD according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) were randomized to receive repeated injections, one week apart, with either granisetron (GRA; 3 mg) or isotonic saline as control (CTR). The median weekly pain intensities decreased significantly at all follow-ups (1-, 2-, 6-months) in the GRA-group (Friedman test; P  0.075). The numbers needed to treat (NNT) were 4 at the 1- and 6-month follow-ups, and 3.3 at the 2-month follow-up in favor of granisetron. Repeated intramuscular tender-point injections with granisetron provide a new pharmacological treatment possibility for myofascial pain patients with repeated intramuscular tender-point injections with the serotonin type 3 antagonist granisetron. It showed a clinically relevant pain reducing effect in the temporomandibular region, both in a short- and long-term aspect. European Clinical Trials Database 2005-006042-41 as well as at Clinical Trials NCT02230371 .

  13. Sensorless Control of IPMSM by Voltage Injection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Matzen, Torben N.; Bech, Michael Møller

    2006-01-01

    In this paper a sensorless discrete current control of an Interior Permanent Magnet Synchrouns Motor (IPMSM) by voltage injection is designed and tested. The whole controller is operating in the dq-frame and for this reason the rotor position is essential to know, to transform between the station......In this paper a sensorless discrete current control of an Interior Permanent Magnet Synchrouns Motor (IPMSM) by voltage injection is designed and tested. The whole controller is operating in the dq-frame and for this reason the rotor position is essential to know, to transform between...... the stationary frame and the rotor xed dq-frame. To obtain the position even at standstill a sensorless scheme using voltage injection is added to the current controller....

  14. Effectiveness of inorganic and organic mulching for soil salinity and sodicity control in a grapevine orchard drip-irrigated with moderately saline waters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramón Aragüés

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Soil mulching is a sensible strategy to reduce evaporation, accelerate crop development, reduce erosion and assist in weed control, but its efficiency for soil salinity control is not as well documented. The benefits of inorganic (plastic and organic (grapevine pruning residues mulching for soil salinity and sodicity control were quantified in a grapevine orchard (cultivars ‘Autumn’ Royal and ‘Crimson’ drip-irrigated with moderately saline waters. Soil samples were taken at the beginning and end of the 2008 and 2009 irrigation seasons in six vines of each cultivar and mulching treatment. Soil saturation extract electrical conductivity (ECe, chloride (Cle and sodium adsorption ratio (SARe values increased in all treatments of both grapevines along the irrigation seasons, but the increases were much lower in the mulched than in the bare soils due to reduced evaporation losses and concomitant decreases in salt evapo-concentration. The absolute salinity and sodicity daily increases in ‘Autumn’ and ‘Crimson’ 2008 and in ‘Crimson’ 2009 were on the average 44% lower in the plastic and 76% lower in the organic mulched soils than in the bare soil. The greater efficiency of the organic than the plastic mulch in ‘Crimson’ 2009 was attributed to the leaching of salts by a precipitation of 104 mm that infiltrated the organic mulch but was intercepted by the plastic mulch. Although further work is needed to substantiate these results, the conclusion is that the plastic mulch and, particularly, the organic mulch were more efficient than the bare soil for soil salinity and sodicity control.

  15. Water logging and salinity control for environmentally sustainable crop production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaudhry, M.R.; Bhutta, M.N.

    2005-01-01

    Irrigation supplies at proper time and adequate quantities are imperative for potential agricultural production under arid and semi-arid climatic conditions. To achieve this goal one of the largest integrated irrigation network was established. Without adequate drainage it resulted in the problems of water logging and salinity. To control these problems a big programme of Salinity Control and Reclamation projects (SCARPs) was initiated during 1960 and 82 such SCARPs have been completed and 9 were in progress up to June, 2002 covering an area of 18.6 ma (7.5 mh) at a cost of Rs.93 billions. Under these projects 12746 tube wells in fresh, 3572 in saline groundwater and 13726 km surface and 12612 km tile pipes covering 6391.7 ha, 160 km interceptor drains have been constructed an area of 0.998 ma (GCA). In addition to this some other measures like on farm water management, canal command project, canal lining, construction of evaporation ponds, establishment of research Inst./Organizations were also taken. Many drainage plans like Master Plan (1963), Northern Regional Plan (1967), Water Sector Investment Plan Study (1990), Right Bank Master Plan (1992), Drainage Sector Environmental Assessment (1993) and National Drainage Programme (1995) were prepared and implemented. The cost of the, phase-I of the National Drainage Programme was 785 million US$. The main activities undertaken were remodeling/extension of existing surface and new drains; rehabilitation/replacement of saline ground water (SGW) tube wells; construction of interceptor drains, reclamation of waterlogged areas through biological drainage and transfer of fresh ground water tube wells to the farmers. The data indicate that all the measures taken have played a significant role in reducing the water logging, salinity/sodicity and have increased the crop production and consequently improved the socio-economic conditions of the peoples especially the farming community. The environment in these areas was also

  16. Using the SIMGRO regional hydrological model to evaluate salinity control measures in an irrigation area

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kupper, E.; Querner, E.P.; Morábito, J.A.; Menenti, M.

    2002-01-01

    In irrigated areas with drainage and an important interaction with the groundwater system, it is often difficult to predict effects of measures to control salinity. Therefore, in order to evaluate measures to control salinity the SIMGRO integrated regional hydrological model was extended with a

  17. Minocycline Prevents Muscular Pain Hypersensitivity and Cutaneous Allodynia Produced by Repeated Intramuscular Injections of Hypertonic Saline in Healthy Human Participants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samour, Mohamad Samir; Nagi, Saad Saulat; Shortland, Peter John; Mahns, David Anthony

    2017-08-01

    Minocycline, a glial suppressor, prevents behavioral hypersensitivities in animal models of peripheral nerve injury. However, clinical trials of minocycline in human studies have produced mixed results. This study addressed 2 questions: can repeated injections of hypertonic saline (HS) in humans induce persistent hypersensitivity? Can pretreatment with minocycline, a tetracycline antibiotic with microglial inhibitory effects, prevent the onset of hypersensitivity? Twenty-seven healthy participants took part in this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, consisting of 6 test sessions across 2 weeks. At the beginning of every session, pressure-pain thresholds of the anterior muscle compartment of both legs were measured to determine the region distribution and intensity of muscle soreness. To measure changes in thermal sensitivity in the skin overlying the anterior muscle compartment of both legs, quantitative sensory testing was used to measure the cutaneous thermal thresholds (cold sensation, cold pain, warm sensation, and heat pain) and a mild cooling stimulus was applied to assess the presence of cold allodynia. To induce ongoing hypersensitivity, repeated injections of HS were administered into the right tibialis anterior muscle at 48-hour intervals. In the final 2 sessions (days 9 and 14), only sensory assessments were done to plot the recovery after cessation of HS administrations and drug washout. By day 9, nontreated participants experienced a significant bilateral increase in muscle soreness (P minocycline-treated participants experienced a bilateral 70% alleviation in muscle soreness (P minocycline-treated participants showed cold allodynia. This study showed that repeated injections of HS can induce a hypersensitivity that outlasts the acute response, and the development of this hypersensitivity can be reliably attenuated with minocycline pretreatment. Four repeated injections of HS at 48-hour intervals induce a state of persistent hypersensitivity in

  18. Salinity effects during immiscible displacement in porous media: electrokinetic stabilization of viscous fingering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirzadeh, Mohammad; Bazant, Martin

    2017-11-01

    Interfacial instabilities are ubiquitous in Fluid Mechanics and have been one of the main the subjects of pattern formation. However, these instabilities could lead to inefficiencies which are undesired in many applications. For instance, viscous fingering results in residual trapping of oil during secondary recovery when a low-viscosity fluid, e.g. water, is used for injection. In their seminal work, Saffman and Taylor showed that the onset of this instability is controlled by the viscosity ratio of the two fluids. However, other physiochemical processes could enhance or suppress viscous fingering. Here we consider the role of salinity effects on the front stability. Our recent theory suggests that viscous fingering could be controlled, and even suppressed, by appropriately injecting electric currents. However, even in the absence of any external currents, strong electrokinetic coupling (present in small pores when the electric double layers overlap) can reduce viscous fingering by increasing the ``effective viscosity'' of the injected fluid. These findings suggest that it might be possible to improve extraction efficiencies by appropriately controlling the salt concentration of the injected fluid.

  19. Postprocedural pain in shoulder arthrography: differences between using preservative-free normal saline and normal saline with benzyl alcohol as an intraarticular contrast diluent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Storey, Troy F; Gilbride, George; Clifford, Kelly

    2014-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the effect of benzyl alcohol, a common preservative in normal saline, on postprocedural pain after intraarticular injection for direct shoulder MR arthrography. From April 2011 through January 2013, 138 patients underwent direct shoulder MR arthrography. Using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Scale, patients were asked to report their shoulder pain level immediately before and immediately after the procedure and then were contacted by telephone 6, 24, and 48 hours after the procedure. Fourteen patients did not receive the prescribed amount of contrast agent for diagnostic reasons or did not complete follow-up. Sixty-two patients received an intraarticular solution including preservative-free normal saline (control group) and 62 patients received an intraarticular solution including normal saline with 0.9% benzyl alcohol as a contrast diluent (test group). Patients were randomized as to which intraarticular diluent they received. Fluoroscopic and MR images were reviewed for extracapsular contrast agent administration or extravasation, full-thickness rotator cuff tears, and adhesive capsulitis. The effect of preservative versus control on pain level was estimated with multiple regression, which included time after procedure as the covariate and accounted for repeated measures over patients. Pain scale scores were significantly (p = 0.0382) higher (0.79 units; 95% CI, 0.034-1.154) with benzyl alcohol preservative compared with control (saline). In both study arms, the pain scale scores decreased slightly after the procedure, increased by roughly 1 unit over baseline for the test group and 0.3 unit over baseline for the control group by 6 hours after the procedure, were 0.50 unit over baseline for the test group and 0.12 unit over baseline for the control group at 24 hours, then fell to be slightly greater than baseline at 48 hours with benzyl alcohol and slightly less than baseline without benzyl alcohol. These trends

  20. PEP-II injection timing and controls

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bharadwaj, V.; Browne, M.; Crane, M.; Gromme, T.; Himel, T.; Ross, M.; Stanek, M.; Ronan, M.

    1997-07-01

    Hardware has been built and software written and incorporated in the existing SLC accelerator control system to control injection of beam pulses from the accelerator into the PEP-II storage rings currently under construction. Hardware includes a CAMAC module to delay the machine timing fiducial in order that a beam pulse extracted from a damping ring will be injected into a selected group of four 476 MHz buckets in a PEP-II ring. Further timing control is accomplished by shifting the phase of the bunches stored in the damping rings before extraction while leaving the phase of the PEP-II stored beam unchanged. The software which drives timing devices on a pulse-to-pulse basis relies on a dedicated communication link on which one scheduling microprocessor broadcasts a 128-bit message to all distributed control microprocessors at 360 Hz. PEP-II injection will be driven by the scheduling microprocessor according to lists specifying bucket numbers in arbitrary order, and according to scheduling constraints maximizing the useful beam delivered to the SLC collider currently in operation. These lists will be generated by a microprocessor monitoring the current stored per bucket in each of the PEP-II rings

  1. Clinical effect of intratympanic dexamethasone injection in acute unilateral tinnitus: A prospective, placebo-controlled, multicenter study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hyun-Jin; Kim, Min-Beom; Yoo, Shin-Young; Park, Shi Nae; Nam, Eui-Cheol; Moon, In Seok; Lee, Ho-Ki

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of intratympanic dexamethasone injection (ITDI) in acute tinnitus of presumed cochlear origin. A prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, multicenter study. Between August 2013 and December 2015, 54 patients with unilateral tinnitus were enrolled at four different centers. Patients were assigned either to an ITDI (n = 27) or an intratympanic normal saline injection (ITNI; n = 27) group through block randomization. Intratympanic injections were administered four times over 2 weeks. At 4 weeks after initial injection, we analyzed the improvement rates of tinnitus using the tinnitus handicap Inventory (THI) and visual analogue scale (VAS) for loudness, awareness, and annoyance. We defined improvement as the reduction of more than 7 points or of more than 20% in the final THI score compared to the initial THI score. The initial mean hearing thresholds and VAS and THI scores of the two groups did not differ significantly. At 4 weeks after initial injection, the mean VAS and THI scores of both groups had significantly reduced. However, the improvement rate did not differ significantly between the groups (ITDI, 51.9%; ITNI, 59.3%). The results indicate that ITDI might not be more effective than ITNI for the treatment of acute unilateral tinnitus. Therefore, ITDI should not be considered as the main treatment for patients presenting with acute tinnitus as the primary symptom. 1b. Laryngoscope, 128:184-188, 2018. © 2017 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

  2. Therapeutic effects of compound hypertonic saline on rats with sepsis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fang Dong

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Sepsis is one of the major causes of death and is the biggest obstacle preventing improvement of the success rate in curing critical illnesses. Currently, isotonic solutions are used in fluid resuscitation technique. Several studies have shown that hypertonic saline applied in hemorrhagic shock can rapidly increase the plasma osmotic pressure, facilitate the rapid return of interstitial fluid into the blood vessels, and restore the effective circulating blood volume. Here, we established a rat model of sepsis by using the cecal ligation and puncture approach. We found that intravenous injection of hypertonic saline dextran (7.5% NaCl/6% dextran after cecal ligation and puncture can improve circulatory failure at the onset of sepsis. We found that the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6 and intracellular adhesion molecule 1 levels in the lung tissue of cecal ligation and puncture rats treated with hypertonic saline dextran were significantly lower than the corresponding levels in the control group. We inferred that hypertonic saline dextran has a positive immunoregulatory effect and inhibits the overexpression of the inflammatory response in the treatment of sepsis. The percentage of neutrophils, lung myeloperoxidase activity, wet to dry weight ratio of lung tissues, histopathological changes in lung tissues, and indicators of arterial blood gas analysis was significantly better in the hypertonic saline dextran-treated group than in the other groups in this study. Hypertonic saline dextran-treated rats had significantly improved survival rates at 9 and 18 h compared to the control group. Our results suggest that hypertonic saline dextran plays a protective role in acute lung injury caused after cecal ligation and puncture. In conclusion, hypertonic/hyperoncotic solutions have beneficial therapeutic effects in the treatment of an animal model of sepsis.

  3. The effect of intravenous paracetamol for the prevention of rocuronium injection pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uzun, Sennur; Erden, Ismail A; Canbay, Ozgur; Aypar, Ulku

    2014-11-01

    Rocuronium is a nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent used in anesthesia induction and is associated with considerable discomfort and burning pain during injection, which is reported to occur in 50-80% of patients. This study was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of intravenous paracetamol pretreatment compared with lidocaine and normal saline to prevent rocuronium injection pain. The study included 150 ASA I-II patients undergoing elective orthopedic, gastrointestinal, and gynecological procedures under general anesthesia. They were allocated into three groups according to pretreatment drugs: lidocaine (40 mg) (n = 50), paracetamol (n = 50), and normal saline group (n = 50). Before anesthesia induction with propofol, all patients were pretreated with rocuronium. The pain caused by the injection was evaluated. Local signs were assessed on the arm at the end of the injection, as well as 24 hours after recovery from anesthesia. There were no patients with blurred speech or vision and there was no respiratory depression in any group after pretreatment with the study drug. The level of pain on injection was statistically lower in those who had received paracetamol compared to normal saline (p = 0.009). There were more patients in the saline group with severe pain (p rocuronium injection pain better than normal saline but lidocaine was the best of the three drugs (p < 0.001). Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.

  4. The effects of intrahippocampus injection of progesterone on passive avoidance learning and memory in adult male rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tahmoores Shahrivar

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Progesterone as a reproductive hormone is studied in the brain structure. New studies are mainly about systemic injection and have shown that the progesterone has different effects on memory. But it is not clear if hippocampus is mediator of progesterone in reinforcement of memory and learning. So, the effects of intra-hippocampal injection of progesterone on passive avoidance memory and learning was studied in male Wistar rats. Material and Methods: Animals were divided in eightgroups as a control, saline, almond oil (as a vehicle and progesterone groups (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3µg/Kg. body weight. All groups except the control were cannulated in left CA1 area by stereotaxic device. One week after recovery, all groups were trained by shuttle box and immediately after training different doses of progesterone in the volume of 0.5μL were injected through the cannula in CA1 of hippocampus and control groups received saline and almond oil at the same volume and condition respectively. After 48 hours passive avoidance memory and learning was evaluated. Results: Statistical analysis showed that 0.5, 1.5, 2 µg/µl progesterone groups had significantly improved passive avoidance learning and memory compared with saline group (p <0.001, but 1 and 3 µg/µl progesterone groups did not show significant effect on passive avoidance learning and memory compared with saline group. Also almond oil increased passive avoidance learning and memory compared with saline group (p <0.001. Conclusion: It seems that effects of progesterone as a neurosteroid on memory and learning depend on its dose. Also almond oil contains vitamin E, omega 3 and oleic acid that has beneficial effects on learning and memory.

  5. Interactive effects of chemical and biological controls on food-web composition in saline prairie lakes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Ryan N; Wissel, Björn

    2012-11-27

    Salinity is restricting habitatability for many biota in prairie lakes due to limited physiological abilities to cope with increasing osmotic stress. Yet, it remains unclear how salinity effects vary among major taxonomic groups and what role other environmental parameters play in shaping food-web composition. To answer these questions, we sampled fish, zooplankton and littoral macroinvertebrates in 20 prairie lakes (Saskatchewan, Canada) characterized by large gradients in water chemistry and lake morphometry. We showed that salinity thresholds differed among major taxonomic groups, as most fishes were absent above salinities of 2 g L-1, while littoral macroinvertebrates were ubiquitous. Zooplankton occurred over the whole salinity range, but changed taxonomic composition as salinity increased. Subsequently, the complexity of fish community (diversity) was associated with large changes in invertebrate communities. The directional changes in invertebrate communities to smaller taxa indicated that complex fish assemblages resulted in higher predation pressure. Most likely, as the complexity of fish community decreased, controls of invertebrate assemblages shifted from predation to competition and ultimately to productivity in hypersaline lakes. Surprisingly, invertebrate predators did not thrive in the absence of fishes in these systems. Furthermore, the here identified salinity threshold for fishes was too low to be a result of osmotic stress. Hence, winterkill was likely an important factor eliminating fishes in low salinity lakes that had high productivity and shallow water depth. Ultimately, while salinity was crucial, intricate combinations of chemical and biological mechanisms also played a major role in controlling the assemblages of major taxonomic groups in prairie lakes.

  6. The efficacy of multiple versus single hyaluronic acid injections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Concoff, Andrew; Sancheti, Parag; Niazi, Faizan; Shaw, Peter; Rosen, Jeffrey

    2017-12-21

    Intra-articular hyaluronic acid (IA-HA) is a common therapy used to treat knee pain and suppress knee inflammation in knee osteoarthritis (OA), typically prescribed in regimens ranging from a single injection to 5 weekly injections given once weekly. We conducted a systematic review to determine the efficacy of IA-HA, with subgroup analyses to explore the differences in knee pain and adverse events (AEs) across different dosing regimens. We conducted a systematic search of the literature to identify studies evaluating IA-HA for the management of knee OA compared to IA-saline. Primary outcome measure was the mean knee pain score at 13 Weeks (3 months) or 26 weeks (6 months). Secondary outcome was the number of treatment-related AEs and treatment-related serious adverse events (SAEs). We evaluated differences in levels of pain and AEs/SAEs between dosing regimens compared to IA-Saline. Thirty articles were included. Overall, IA-HA injections were associated with less knee pain compared to IA-Saline injections for all dosing regimens. 2-4 injections of IA-HA vs. IA-Saline produced the largest effect size at both 3-months and 6-months (Standard mean difference [SMD] = -0.76; -0.98 to -0.53, 95% CI, P injection studies yielded a non-significant treatment effect at 3 and 6 months, while ≥5 5 injections demonstrated a significant improvement in pain only at 6 months. Five or more injections of IA-HA were associated with a higher risk of treatment-related AEs compared to IA-Saline (Risk ratio [RR] = 1.67; 1.09 to 2.56 95% CI, p = 0.02), which was a result not seen within the 1 and 2-4 injection subgroups. Overall, 2-4 and ≥5 injection regimens provided pain relief over IA-Saline, while single injection did not. Intra-articular injections of HA used in a 2-4 injection treatment regimen provided the greatest benefit when compared to IA-Saline with respect to pain improvement in patients with knee OA, and was generally deemed safe with few to no

  7. Incidence of total knee replacement subsequent to intra-articular injection of the anti-inflammatory compound LMWF-5A versus saline: a long-term follow-up study to a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwappach, John; Schultz, Joseph; Salottolo, Kristin; Bar-Or, David

    2018-01-01

    The disease modifying potential of osteoarthritis therapies are of increasing interest, including their effects on delaying total knee replacement (TKR). To date, there have been no studies to determine the effect of LMWF-5A, a novel anti-inflammatory compound derived from human serum albumin, on delaying TKR. We evaluated time to TKR three years after patients participated in a randomized trial of three intra-articular injections of LMWF-5A or saline. Patients were contacted via last known phone number and were asked to participate in a short nine item telephone questionnaire; verbal consent was obtained. The primary endpoint was incidence of TKR (%). In total, 39 of 45 patients responded (87% response rate). The overall incidence of TKR was 38.5% (15/39). TKR rates were higher in patients with more severe osteoarthritis defined by Kellgren-Lawrence grade 4, compared to patients with moderate osteoarthritis defined by Kellgren-Lawrence grade 3 (56% vs. 26%, p  = 0.06). Overall, there were no differences in TKR rates by treatment arm (39% LMWF-5A vs. 38% saline, p  = 0.92). In the severe osteoarthritis subset ( n  = 16), treatment with LMWF-5A resulted in a lower incidence of TKR compared to saline vehicle arm (40% vs. 83%, p  = 0.15). TKR rates were significantly lower with LMWF-5A in patients who responded to treatment (14% with LMWF-5A, vs. 100% with saline, p  = 0.03). This study demonstrates significant delays in TKR for patients with severe osteoarthritis treated with LMWF-5A, suggesting that LMWF-5A has the potential to provide structure modifying/preserving therapy in this population.

  8. The effect of intravenous paracetamol for the prevention of rocuronium injection pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sennur Uzun

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Rocuronium is a nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent used in anesthesia induction and is associated with considerable discomfort and burning pain during injection, which is reported to occur in 50–80% of patients. This study was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of intravenous paracetamol pretreatment compared with lidocaine and normal saline to prevent rocuronium injection pain. The study included 150 ASA I–II patients undergoing elective orthopedic, gastrointestinal, and gynecological procedures under general anesthesia. They were allocated into three groups according to pretreatment drugs: lidocaine (40 mg (n = 50, paracetamol (n = 50, and normal saline group (n = 50. Before anesthesia induction with propofol, all patients were pretreated with rocuronium. The pain caused by the injection was evaluated. Local signs were assessed on the arm at the end of the injection, as well as 24 hours after recovery from anesthesia. There were no patients with blurred speech or vision and there was no respiratory depression in any group after pretreatment with the study drug. The level of pain on injection was statistically lower in those who had received paracetamol compared to normal saline (p = 0.009. There were more patients in the saline group with severe pain (p < 0.001. Paracetamol relieved the rocuronium injection pain better than normal saline but lidocaine was the best of the three drugs (p < 0.001.

  9. Intra-articular injection of dexketoprofen in rat knee joint: histopathologic assessment of cartilage & synovium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ekici, Aycan Guner; Akyol, Onat; Ekici, Murat; Sitilci, Tolga; Topacoglu, Hakan; Ozyuvaci, Emine

    2014-08-01

    Effective pain control following outpatient surgical procedures is an important aspect of patient discharge. This study was carried out with an aim to investigate the histopathological effects of intra-articular dexketoprofen trometamol injection in knee joint on synovium and cartilage in an experimental rat model. In each of 40 rats, the right knee was designated as the study group and the left knee as the control group (NS group). Under aseptic conditions, 35 rats received an injection of 0.25 ml (6.25 mg) dexketoprofen trometamol into the right knee joint and an injection of 0.25 ml 0.9 per cent normal saline solution into the left knee joint. On the 1st, 2nd, 7th, 14th, and 21st days after intra-articular injection, rats in specified groups were sacrificed by intraperitoneal injection of 120 mg/kg sodium thiopental. Knee joints were separated and sectioned for histopathological examination. Inflammatory changes in the joints were recorded according to a grade scale. No significant difference in terms of pathological changes both in synovium and cartilage was observed between the NS group and the study group on days 1, 2, 7, 14 and 21 after intra-articular injection of dexketoprofen or saline in the knee joint. The findings showed no evidence of significant histopathological damage to the cartilage and synovia for a period up to 21 days following intra-articular administration of dexketoprofen trometamol in the knee joints of rats.

  10. Direct injection of {sup 188}Re-microspheres in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Compared with traditional percutaneous ethanol injection: an animal study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lin, Y.C.; Lee, J.C.; Huang, Y.S. [Dept. of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung-Hsing Univ., Taichung (Taiwan); Dept. of Nuclear Medicine (Taiwan); Tsai, S.C. [Show Chwan Memorial Hospital (Taiwan); Hung, G.U. [Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua (Taiwan); Lin, W.Y. [Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung (Taiwan)

    2005-07-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacies of direct intratumoural injection of {sup 188}Re microspheres (DIRM) and direct intratumoural injection of ethanol (DIE) in rabbits bearing liver tumours. Materials and methods: Fifteen rabbits bearing liver tumours were divided into three groups: group 1 received DIE, group 2 received DIRM, and group 3 (control) received saline. Tumour size was measured by liver sonography before injection, as well as 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after injection. Survival time was calculated from the day of treatment to three months after treatment by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Results: The mean survival time was 68{+-}9.8 days for the rabbits in the DIRM group, 55.8{+-}11.8 days for the DIE group, and 38.8{+-}6.2 days for the control group. Conclusion: The rabbits survived longer in the DIRM group than in the DIE group although there is no statistical significance. We believe the DIRM method has a good potential to be an alternative to DIE for the treatment of liver tumours. (orig.)

  11. Modeling of fate and transport of co-injection of H2S with CO2 in deep saline formations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, W.; Xu, T.; Li, Y.

    2010-12-15

    The geological storage of CO{sub 2} in deep saline formations is increasing seen as a viable strategy to reduce the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. However, costs of capture and compression of CO{sub 2} from industrial waste streams containing small quantities of sulfur and nitrogen compounds such as SO{sub 2}, H{sub 2}S and N{sub 2} are very expensive. Therefore, studies on the co-injection of CO{sub 2} containing other acid gases from industrial emissions are very important. In this paper, numerical simulations were performed to study the co-injection of H{sub 2}S with CO{sub 2} in sandstone and carbonate formations. Results indicate that the preferential dissolution of H{sub 2}S gas (compared with CO{sub 2} gas) into formation water results in the delayed breakthrough of H{sub 2}S gas. Co-injection of H{sub 2}S results in the precipitation of pyrite through interactions between the dissolved H{sub 2}S and Fe{sup 2+} from the dissolution of Fe-bearing minerals. Additional injection of H{sub 2}S reduces the capabilities for solubility and mineral trappings of CO{sub 2} compared to the CO{sub 2} only case. In comparison to the sandstone (siliciclastic) formation, the carbonate formation is less favorable to the mineral sequestration of CO{sub 2}. Different from CO{sub 2} mineral trapping, the presence of Fe-bearing siliciclastic and/or carbonate is more favorable to the H{sub 2}S mineral trapping.

  12. Simulation of CO2 Sequestration at Rock Spring Uplift, Wyoming: Heterogeneity and Uncertainties in Storage Capacity, Injectivity and Leakage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deng, Hailin [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Dai, Zhenxue [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Jiao, Zunsheng [Wyoming State Geological Survey; Stauffer, Philip H. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Surdam, Ronald C. [Wyoming State Geological Survey

    2011-01-01

    Many geological, geochemical, geomechanical and hydrogeological factors control CO{sub 2} storage in subsurface. Among them heterogeneity in saline aquifer can seriously influence design of injection wells, CO{sub 2} injection rate, CO{sub 2} plume migration, storage capacity, and potential leakage and risk assessment. This study applies indicator geostatistics, transition probability and Markov chain model at the Rock Springs Uplift, Wyoming generating facies-based heterogeneous fields for porosity and permeability in target saline aquifer (Pennsylvanian Weber sandstone) and surrounding rocks (Phosphoria, Madison and cap-rock Chugwater). A multiphase flow simulator FEHM is then used to model injection of CO{sub 2} into the target saline aquifer involving field-scale heterogeneity. The results reveal that (1) CO{sub 2} injection rates in different injection wells significantly change with local permeability distributions; (2) brine production rates in different pumping wells are also significantly impacted by the spatial heterogeneity in permeability; (3) liquid pressure evolution during and after CO{sub 2} injection in saline aquifer varies greatly for different realizations of random permeability fields, and this has potential important effects on hydraulic fracturing of the reservoir rock, reactivation of pre-existing faults and the integrity of the cap-rock; (4) CO{sub 2} storage capacity estimate for Rock Springs Uplift is 6614 {+-} 256 Mt at 95% confidence interval, which is about 36% of previous estimate based on homogeneous and isotropic storage formation; (5) density profiles show that the density of injected CO{sub 2} below 3 km is close to that of the ambient brine with given geothermal gradient and brine concentration, which indicates CO{sub 2} plume can sink to the deep before reaching thermal equilibrium with brine. Finally, we present uncertainty analysis of CO{sub 2} leakage into overlying formations due to heterogeneity in both the target saline

  13. Intra-articular injection of dexketoprofen in rat knee joint : Histopathologic assessment of cartilage & synovium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aycan Guner Ekici

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background & objectives: Effective pain control following outpatient surgical procedures is an important aspect of patient discharge. This study was carried out with an aim to investigate the histopathological effects of intra-articular dexketoprofen trometamol injection in knee joint on synovium and cartilage in an experimental rat model. Methods: In each of 40 rats, the right knee was designated as the study group and the left knee as the control group (NS group. Under aseptic conditions, 35 rats received an injection of 0.25 ml (6.25 mg dexketoprofen trometamol into the right knee joint and an injection of 0.25 ml 0.9 per cent normal saline solution into the left knee joint. On the 1 st , 2 nd , 7 th , 14 th , and 21 st days after intra-articular injection, rats in specified groups were sacrificed by intraperitoneal injection of 120 mg/kg sodium thiopental. Knee joints were separated and sectioned for histopathological examination. Inflammatory changes in the joints were recorded according to a grade scale. Results: No significant difference in terms of pathological changes both in synovium and cartilage was observed between the NS group and the study group on days 1, 2, 7, 14 and 21 after intra-articular injection of dexketoprofen or saline in the knee joint. Interpretation & conclusions: The findings showed no evidence of significant histopathological damage to the cartilage and synovia for a period up to 21 days following intra-articular administration of dexketoprofen trometamol in the knee joints of rats.

  14. PID motion control tuning rules in a damping injection framework

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tadele, T.S.; de Vries, Theodorus J.A.; Stramigioli, Stefano

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a general design approach for a performance based tuning of a damping injection framework impedance controller by using insights from PID motion control tuning rules. The damping injection framework impedance controller is suitable for human friendly robots as it enhances safety

  15. Antihistamine Pretreatment to Reduce Incidence of Withdrawal Movement After Rocuronium Injection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ho Jun; Han, Sung Jin; Kim, Heezoo; Lee, Il Ok; Kong, Myoung Hoon; Kim, Nan Suk; Lim, Sang Ho

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of antihistamine therapy for withdrawal movements caused by rocuronium injection. One hundred seventy one ASA I-II adults undergoing elective surgery were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Patients in the control group (Group C) were premedicated with 2 mL normal saline, and those in the antihistamine group (Group A) were pre-medicated with 2 mL (45.5 mg) pheniramine maleate. After the administration of thiopental sodium 5 mg/kg, rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg was injected. Withdrawal movements were assessed using a four-grade scale. The administration of antihistamine reveals lower grade of withdrawal movement after rocuronium injection. PMID:19794987

  16. Efficacy of tramadol and butorphanol pretreatment in reducing pain on propofol injection: A placebo-controlled randomized study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Arvinderpal; Sharma, Geeta; Gupta, Ruchi; Kumari, Anita; Tikko, Deepika

    2016-01-01

    Pain of propofol injection has been recalled by many patients as the most painful part of the induction of anesthesia. Tramadol and butorphanol are commonly used analgesics for perioperative analgesia in anesthesia practice. However, their potential to relieve propofol injection pain still needs to be explored. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted on 90 American Society of Anesthesiologists I and II adult patients undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia with propofol as an induction agent. Consecutive sampling technique with random assignment was used to allocate three groups of 30 patients each. Group I patients received an injection of normal saline 3 ml intravenously (placebo) while Group II and Group III patients received injection of tramadol 50 mg and butorphanol 1 mg intravenously, respectively. Before induction of anesthesia patients were asked about the intensity of pain on propofol injection by using visual analog scale (VAS) before the loss of consciousness. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance with Chi-square test were used to analyze the data. The value of P pain in Group I was observed in 80% of the patients, while it was observed in 23.33% and 20% of patients in Group II and III, respectively. Mean VAS scores were 2.27 ± 1.51, 1.14 ± 1.74, and 1.03 ± 1.72 in Group I, II, and Group III patients, respectively. The incidence of pruritus was 10% and 6.7% and erythema in 13.2% and 6.7% in Group II and III, respectively. Pretreatment with both butorphanol and tramadol significantly reduced pain on propofol injection; however, they exhibited comparable efficacy among each other. Thus, either of these two drugs can be considered for pretreatment to reduce propofol injection pain.

  17. Dexmedetomidine reduces pain associated with rocuronium injection without causing a decrease in BIS values: a dose-response study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joo, Jin; Baek, Jungwon; Lee, Jaemin

    2014-09-01

    To examine whether dexmedetomidine reduces the injection pain of propofol and rocuronium and to investigate whether the decrease in injection pain is associated with the known sedative action of dexmedetomidine. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical comparison study. Patients undergoing general anesthesia with intubation received 40 mg of 1% lidocaine (lidocaine group; n = 28), 0.25 μg/kg of dexmedetomidine (low-dose group; n = 27), 0.5 μg/kg of dexmedetomidine (subclinical dose group; n = 28), 1.0 μg/kg of dexmedetomidine (clinical dose group, n = 27), or normal saline (saline group; n = 28) before anesthetic induction. Pain associated with propofol and rocuronium injection was assessed using a 10-point verbal analog scale (VAS) and a 4-point withdrawal movement scale, respectively. The BIS value was measured 60 seconds after administration of the study drug, and at the time of rocuronium injection and intubation. The overall incidence of withdrawal movements due to rocuronium decreased significantly as the dose of dexmedetomidine increased (92.8%, 85.2%, 78.6%, and 51.9% in the saline, low-dose, subclinical dose, and clinical dose groups, respectively; P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in BIS values among the groups 60 seconds after study drug administration or at the time of rocuronium injection. Dexmedetomidine reduced pain associated with rocuronium injection in a dose-dependent manner. This effect was not associated with the decrease in BIS value. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Using BOLD imaging to measure renal oxygenation dynamics in rats injected with diuretics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kusakabe, Yoshinori; Matsushita, Taro; Honda, Saori; Okada, Sakie; Murase, Kenya

    2010-01-01

    We used blood oxygenation level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD MRI) to measure renal oxygenation dynamics in rats injected with diuretics and evaluated diuretic effect on renal oxygenation. We performed BOLD MRI studies in 32 rats using a 1.5-tesla MR imaging system for animal experiments. We intravenously injected rats with saline (n=7), furosemide (n=7), acetazolamide (n=6), or mannitol (n=6). For controls, 6 rats were not injected with drugs. We estimated the apparent transverse relaxation rate (R 2 *) from the apparent transverse relaxation time (T 2 *)-weighted images and measured the time course of R 2 * at 4-min intervals over approximately 30 min. Compared with preadministration values, the R 2 * value did not change significantly in either the cortex or medulla in the control and mannitol groups but decreased significantly in the saline group; the R 2 * value significantly decreased in the medulla but did not change significantly in the cortex in the furosemide group; and the R 2 * value significantly increased in the medulla and significantly decreased in the cortex in the acetazolamide group. Our study results suggest that BOLD MRI is useful for evaluating the dynamics of renal oxygenation in response to various diuretics in the renal cortex and in the medulla. (author)

  19. Geochemical processes controlling water salinization in an irrigated basin in Spain: Identification of natural and anthropogenic influence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Merchán, D., E-mail: d.merchan@igme.es [Geological Survey of Spain — IGME, C/Manuel Lasala 44 9B, 50006 Zaragoza (Spain); Auqué, L.F.; Acero, P.; Gimeno, M.J. [University of Zaragoza — Department of Earth Sciences (Geochemical Modelling Group), C/Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009 Zaragoza (Spain); Causapé, J. [Geological Survey of Spain — IGME, C/Manuel Lasala 44 9B, 50006 Zaragoza (Spain)

    2015-01-01

    Salinization of water bodies represents a significant risk in water systems. The salinization of waters in a small irrigated hydrological basin is studied herein through an integrated hydrogeochemical study including multivariate statistical analyses and geochemical modeling. The study zone has two well differentiated geologic materials: (i) Quaternary sediments of low salinity and high permeability and (ii) Tertiary sediments of high salinity and very low permeability. In this work, soil samples were collected and leaching experiments conducted on them in the laboratory. In addition, water samples were collected from precipitation, irrigation, groundwater, spring and surface waters. The waters show an increase in salinity from precipitation and irrigation water to ground- and, finally, surface water. The enrichment in salinity is related to the dissolution of soluble mineral present mainly in the Tertiary materials. Cation exchange, precipitation of calcite and, probably, incongruent dissolution of dolomite, have been inferred from the hydrochemical data set. Multivariate statistical analysis provided information about the structure of the data, differentiating the group of surface waters from the groundwaters and the salinization from the nitrate pollution processes. The available information was included in geochemical models in which hypothesis of consistency and thermodynamic feasibility were checked. The assessment of the collected information pointed to a natural control on salinization processes in the Lerma Basin with minimal influence of anthropogenic factors. - Highlights: • Salinization in Lerma Basin was controlled by the dissolution of soluble salts. • Water salinization and nitrate pollution were found to be independent processes. • High NO{sub 3}, fresh groundwater evolved to lower NO{sub 3}, higher salinity surface water. • Inverse and direct geochemical modeling confirmed the hypotheses. • Salinization was a natural ongoing process

  20. Case study on combined CO₂ sequestration and low-salinity water production potential in a shallow saline aquifer in Qatar.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Tausif Khizar; Nasrabadi, Hadi

    2012-10-30

    CO₂ is one of the byproducts of natural gas production in Qatar. The high rate of natural gas production from Qatar's North Field (world's largest non-associated gas field) has led to the production of significant amounts of CO₂. The release of CO₂ into the atmosphere may be harmful from the perspective of global warming. In this work, we study the CO₂ sequestration potential in Qatar's Aruma aquifer. The Aruma aquifer is a saline aquifer in the southwest of Qatar. It occupies an area of approximately 1985 km₂ on land (16% of Qatar's total area). We have developed a compositional model for CO₂ sequestration in the Aruma aquifer on the basis of available log and flow test data. We suggest water production at some distance from the CO₂ injection wells as a possible way to control the pore pressure. This method increases the potential for safe sequestration of CO₂ in the aquifer without losing integrity of the caprock and without any CO₂ leakage. The water produced from this aquifer is considerably less saline than seawater and could be a good water source for the desalination process, which is currently the main source of water in Qatar. The outcome of the desalination process is water with higher salinity than the seawater that is currently discharged into the sea. This discharge can have negative long-term environmental effects. The water produced from the Aruma aquifer is considerably less saline than seawater and can be a partial solution to this problem. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Oxytocin and prolactin release after hypertonic saline administration in melatonin-treated male Syrian hamsters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Juszczak, M.; Steger, R.W.; Fadden, C.; Bartke, A.

    1996-01-01

    The aim of the present investigations was to examine the effects of melatonin (Mel) on oxytocin (OT) release under conditions of osmotic stimulation, brought about by hypertonic saline administration, as well as to determine whether osmotically stimulated OT release in Mel-treated Syrian hamster is associated with alterations in the release of prolactin (PRL) and in norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) content in the hypothalamus. In both Mel- and vehicle-treated hamsters, injection of hypertonic saline was followed by a significant decrease in OT content in the pituitary neurointermediate lobe (NIL) and elevation of plasma OT and PRL levels. Melatonin injections had no significant affect on NIL OT content in either isotonic- or hypertonic-saline treated animals. Pretreatment with Mel did not alter plasma OT or PRL levels in isotonic saline-injected animals. However, Mel facilitated the release of OT, but prevented the release of PRL after hypertonic saline administration. Melatonin treatment reduced hypothalamic NE content (but not that of DA) in isotonic-saline treated animals. After osmotic stimulation, hypothalamic content of NE and DA was significantly lower in Mel-treated than in vehicle-treated animals. Data from the present study suggest that the osmotically-stimulated release of OT and PRL seems to be related to the activation of noradrenergic rather than dopaminergic transmission. Both dopaminergic and noradrenergic transmission may be, however, involved in mediating the effects of Mel on the osmotically-activated OT and PRL release. (author). 48 refs, 3 figs

  2. Oxytocin and prolactin release after hypertonic saline administration in melatonin-treated male Syrian hamsters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Juszczak, M.; Steger, R.W.; Fadden, C.; Bartke, A. [Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale, IL (United States)

    1996-12-31

    The aim of the present investigations was to examine the effects of melatonin (Mel) on oxytocin (OT) release under conditions of osmotic stimulation, brought about by hypertonic saline administration, as well as to determine whether osmotically stimulated OT release in Mel-treated Syrian hamster is associated with alterations in the release of prolactin (PRL) and in norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) content in the hypothalamus. In both Mel- and vehicle-treated hamsters, injection of hypertonic saline was followed by a significant decrease in OT content in the pituitary neurointermediate lobe (NIL) and elevation of plasma OT and PRL levels. Melatonin injections had no significant affect on NIL OT content in either isotonic- or hypertonic-saline treated animals. Pretreatment with Mel did not alter plasma OT or PRL levels in isotonic saline-injected animals. However, Mel facilitated the release of OT, but prevented the release of PRL after hypertonic saline administration. Melatonin treatment reduced hypothalamic NE content (but not that of DA) in isotonic-saline treated animals. After osmotic stimulation, hypothalamic content of NE and DA was significantly lower in Mel-treated than in vehicle-treated animals. Data from the present study suggest that the osmotically-stimulated release of OT and PRL seems to be related to the activation of noradrenergic rather than dopaminergic transmission. Both dopaminergic and noradrenergic transmission may be, however, involved in mediating the effects of Mel on the osmotically-activated OT and PRL release. (author). 48 refs, 3 figs.

  3. Effects of single injection of local anesthetic agents on intervertebral disc degeneration: ex vivo and long-term in vivo experimental study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koji Iwasaki

    Full Text Available Analgesic discography (discoblock can be used to diagnose or treat discogenic low back pain by injecting a small amount of local anesthetics. However, recent in vitro studies have revealed cytotoxic effects of local anesthetics on intervertebral disc (IVD cells. Here we aimed to investigate the deteriorative effects of lidocaine and bupivacaine on rabbit IVDs using an organotypic culture model and an in vivo long-term follow-up model.For the organotypic culture model, rabbit IVDs were harvested and cultured for 3 or 7 days after intradiscal injection of local anesthetics (1% lidocaine or 0.5% bupivacaine. Nucleus pulposus (NP cell death was measured using confocal microscopy. Histological and TUNEL assays were performed. For in vivo study, each local anesthetic was injected into rabbit lumbar IVDs under a fluoroscope. Six or 12 months after the injection, each IVD was prepared for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI and histological analysis.In the organotypic culture model, both anesthetic agents induced time-dependent NP cell death; when compared with injected saline solution, significant effects were detected within 7 days. Compared with the saline group, TUNEL-positive NP cells were significantly increased in the bupivacaine group. In the in vivo study, MRI analysis did not show any significant difference. Histological analysis revealed that IVD degeneration occurred to a significantly level in the saline- and local anesthetics-injected groups compared with the untreated control or puncture-only groups. However, there was no significant difference between the saline and anesthetic agents groups.In the in vivo model using healthy IVDs, there was no strong evidence to suggest that discoblock with local anesthetics has the potential of inducing IVD degeneration other than the initial mechanical damage of the pressurized injection. Further studies should be performed to investigate the deteriorative effects of the local injection of analgesic agents

  4. Dose-Dependent Effects of Multiple Acute Cocaine Injections on Maternal Behavior and Aggression in Sprague-Dawley Rats

    OpenAIRE

    Johns, Josephine M.; Nelson, Christina J.; Meter, Kathleen E.; Lubin, Deborah A.; Couch, C. Destine; Ayers, Andy; Walker, Cheryl H.

    1998-01-01

    Rat dams, which had no prior drug treatment, were either nontreated controls or were injected subcutaneously 4 times during a 10-day period with a single dose of 30, 15 or 7.5 mg/kg of cocaine hydrochloride HCl, or normal saline. Injections were given immediately postpartum following delivery of their final pup (PPD 1), and again on postpartum day 3 (PPD 3), postpartum day 6 (PPD 6) and postpartum day 10 (PPD 10). Dams were observed 30 min following injections for maternal behavior (MB) towar...

  5. Effect of different saline chaser volumes and flow rates on intravascular contrast enhancement in CT using a circulation phantom

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Behrendt, Florian F.; Bruners, Philipp; Keil, Sebastian; Plumhans, Cedric; Mahnken, Andreas H.; Das, Marco; Ackermann, Diana; Guenther, Rolf W.; Muehlenbruch, Georg

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the influence of different saline chaser volumes and different saline chaser flow rates on the intravascular contrast enhancement in MDCT. Materials and methods: In a physiological flow phantom contrast medium (120 ml, 300 mgI/ml, Ultravist 300) was administered at a flow rate of 6 ml/s followed by different saline chaser volumes (0, 30, 60 and 90 ml) at the same injection rate or followed by a 30-ml saline chaser at different injection rates (2, 4, 6 and 8 ml/s). Serial CT-scans at a level covering the pulmonary artery, the ascending and the descending aorta replica were obtained. Time-enhancement curves were computed and both pulmonary and aortic peak enhancement and peak time were determined. Results: Compared to contrast medium injection without a saline chaser the pushing with a saline chaser (30, 60, and 90 ml) resulted in a statistically significant increased pulmonary peak enhancement (all p = 0.008) and prolonged peak time (p = 0.032, p = 0.024 and p = 0.008, respectively). Highest aortic peak enhancement values were detected for a saline chaser volume of 30 ml. A saline chaser flow rate of 8 ml/s resulted in the highest pulmonary peak enhancement values compared to flow rates of 2, 4 and 6 ml/s (all p = 0.008). Aortic peak enhancement showed the highest values for a flow rate of 6 ml/s. Conclusion: A saline chaser volume of 30 ml and an injection rate of 6 ml/s are sufficient to best improve vascular contrast enhancement in the pulmonary artery and the aorta in MDCT.

  6. New techniques to control salinity-wastewater reuse interactions in golf courses of the Mediterranean regions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beltrao, J.; Costa, M.; Rosado, V.; Gamito, P.; Santos, R.; Khaydarova, V.

    2003-04-01

    Due to the lack water around the Mediterranean regions, potable water luxurious uses - as in golf courses - are increasingly contested. In order to solve this problem, non conventional water resources (effluent, gray, recycled, reclaimed, brackish), like treated wastewater, for irrigation gained increasing role in the planning and development of additional water supplies in golf courses. In most cases, the intense use of effluent for irrigation attracted public awareness in respect of contaminating pathogens and heavy metals. The contaminating effect of salinity in soil and underground water is very often neglected. The objective of this work is to present the conventional techniques to control salinity of treated wastewater and to present some results on new clean techniques to solve this problem, in the framework of the INCO-COPERNICUS project (no. IC-15CT98-0105) "Adaptation of Efficient Water Use Criteria in Marginal Regions of Europe and Middle Asia with Scarce Sources Subject to Environmental Control, Climate Change and Socio-Economic Development" and of the INCO-DC project (no. IC18-CT98-0266) "Control of Salination and Combating Desertification Effects in the Mediterranean Region. Phase II". Saline water is the most common irrigation water in arid climates. Moreover, for each region treated wastewater is always more saline than tap water, and therefore, when treated wastewater is reused in golf courses, more salinity problems occur. Conventional techniques to combat the salination process in golf courses can be characterized by four generations: 1) Problem of root zone salination by soil leaching - two options can occur - when there is an impermeable layer, salts will be concentrated above this layer; on the other hand, when there is no impermeable layer, aquifers contamination can be observed; 2) Use of subsurface trickle irrigation - economy of water, and therefore less additional salts; however the problem of groundwater contamination due to natural rain

  7. Molecular mechanisms underlying the protective effects of hydrogen-saturated saline on noise-induced hearing loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Liwei; Han, Mingkun; Lu, Yan; Chen, Daishi; Sun, Xuejun; Yang, Shiming; Sun, Wei; Yu, Ning; Zhai, Suoqiang

    2017-10-01

    This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanism of the protective effects of hydrogen-saturated saline on NIHL. Guinea pigs were divided into three groups: hydrogen-saturated saline; normal saline; and control. For saline administration, the guinea pigs were given daily abdominal injections 3 d before and 1 h before noise exposure. ABR were tested to examine cochlear physiology changes. The changes of 8-hydroxy-desoxyguanosine (8-HOdG), interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and high mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1) in the cochlea were also examined. The results showed that pre-treatment with hydrogen-saturated saline could significantly attenuate noise-induced hearing loss. The concentration of 8-HOdG was also significantly decreased in the hydrogen-saturated saline group compared with the normal saline group. After noise exposure, the concentrations of IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α, and ICAM-1 in the cochlea of guinea pigs in the hydrogen-saturated saline group were dramatically reduced compared to those in the normal saline group. The concentrations of HMGB-1 and IL-10 in the hydrogen-saturated saline group were significantly higher than in those in the normal saline group immediately and at 7 d after noise exposure. This study revealed for the first time the protective effects of hydrogen-saturated saline on noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) are related to both the anti-oxidative activity and anti-inflammatory activity.

  8. Muscle injections with lidocaine improve resting fatigue and pain in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Staud R

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Roland Staud,1 Taylor Kizer,1 Michael E Robinson2 1Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, 2Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA Objective: Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS complain of long-lasting fatigue and pain which are not relieved by rest and worsened by physical exertion. Previous research has implicated metaboreceptors of muscles to play an important role for chronic fatigue and pain. Therefore, we hypothesized that blocking impulse input from deep tissues with intramuscular lidocaine injections would improve not only the pain but also fatigue of CFS patients. Methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 58 CFS patients received 20 mL of 1% lidocaine (200 mg or normal saline once into both trapezius and gluteal muscles. Study outcomes included clinical fatigue and pain, depression, and anxiety. In addition, mechanical and heat hyperalgesia were assessed and serum levels of lidocaine were obtained after the injections. Results: Fatigue ratings of CFS patients decreased significantly more after lidocaine compared to saline injections (p = 0.03. In contrast, muscle injections reduced pain, depression, and anxiety (p < 0.001, but these changes were not statistically different between lidocaine and saline (p > 0.05. Lidocaine injections increased mechanical pain thresholds of CFS patients (p = 0.04 but did not affect their heat hyperalgesia. Importantly, mood changes or lidocaine serum levels did not significantly predict fatigue reductions. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that lidocaine injections reduce clinical fatigue of CFS patients significantly more than placebo, suggesting an important role of peripheral tissues for chronic fatigue. Future investigations will be necessary to evaluate the clinical benefits of such interventions. Keywords: muscle injections, lidocaine, metaboreceptor, chronic fatigue 

  9. Oil Recovery Increases by Low-Salinity Flooding: Minnelusa and Green River Formations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eric P. Robertson

    2010-09-01

    Waterflooding is by far the most widely used method in the world to increase oil recovery. Historically, little consideration has been given in reservoir engineering practice to the effect of injection brine composition on waterflood displacement efficiency or to the possibility of increased oil recovery through manipulation of the composition of the injected water. However, recent work has shown that oil recovery can be significantly increased by modifying the injection brine chemistry or by injecting diluted or low salinity brine. This paper reports on laboratory work done to increase the understanding of improved oil recovery by waterflooding with low salinity injection water. Porous media used in the studies included outcrop Berea sandstone (Ohio, U.S.A.) and reservoir cores from the Green River formation of the Uinta basin (Utah, U.S.A.). Crude oils used in the experimental protocols were taken from the Minnelusa formation of the Powder River basin (Wyoming, U.S.A.) and from the Green River formation, Monument Butte field in the Uinta basin. Laboratory corefloods using Berea sandstone, Minnelusa crude oil, and simulated Minnelusa formation water found a significant relationship between the temperature at which the oil- and water-saturated cores were aged and the oil recovery resulting from low salinity waterflooding. Lower aging temperatures resulted in very little to no additional oil recovery, while cores aged at higher temperatures resulted in significantly higher recoveries from dilute-water floods. Waterflood studies using reservoir cores and fluids from the Green River formation of the Monument Butte field also showed significantly higher oil recoveries from low salinity waterfloods with cores flooded with fresher water recovering 12.4% more oil on average than those flooded with undiluted formation brine.

  10. Osmoregulation and muscle water control in vitro facing salinity stress of the Amazon fish Oscar Astronotus ocellatus (Cichlidae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutierre, Silvia M. M.; Schulte, Jessica M.; Schofield, Pam; Prodocimo, Viviane

    2017-01-01

    Specimens of Oscar Astronotus ocellatus from a fish farm were abruptly submitted to salt stress of 14 ppt and 20 ppt, for 3 and 8 h to determine their plasma osmolality. Muscle wet body mass change in vitro was analyzed from control freshwater animals. Fish in 14 ppt presented no osmolality distress even after 8 h. In 20 ppt, a slight increase (10%) in plasma osmolality was observed for both times of exposure when compared to control fish. Muscle slices submitted in vitro to hyper-osmotic saline displayed decreased body mass after 75 min, and slices submitted to hypo-osmotic saline displayed increased body mass after 45 min when compared to control (isosmotic saline). These results reinforce A. ocellatus’s euryhalinity. The fish were able to regulate its internal medium and tolerate 14 ppt, but presented an intense osmotic challenge and low muscle hydration control when facing salinities of 20 ppt.

  11. Valuation of using saline flush technique of contrast medium on abdominal multidetector row CT scanning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Hong; Wang Ying; He Yanli; Liu Xiaobing; Bao Shiliang; Han Mingjun

    2006-01-01

    Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the enhancement degree of abdomen organs and vessels after different amount of contrast medium using saline flush in abdomen MDCT scanning, which aimed to not affect contrast enhancement, decreased the amount of contrast medium, and reduced the side-effect. Methods: This study group consisted of 75 patients who were referred for contrast enhanced abdominal MDCT for various reasons. Patients were allocated into three groups: injection of 100ml of contrast medium only (A group), injection of 80ml pushed with 20ml of saline solution (B group), and injection of 70ml pushed with 30ml of saline solution (C group). Attenuation values were measured from the liver, spleen, pancreas, kidney, aorta, portal vein, and inferior vena cava in 33 second and 80 second of imaging after injection contrast medium. Results: The portal venous phases of the spleen, pancreas, kidney, aorta, portal vein had statistically significant difference among groups A, B and C. Post hoc test showed statistically significant difference between A group and C group, But no statistically significant difference during the portal venous phases of the pancreas and the kidney between A group and B group. Conclusion: Using a saline flush technique after the injection contrast medium in abdominal MDCT reduced waste of contrast medium and decrease in nephrotoxicity, at the same time, it would not lose important diagnostic information and saved patients cost for the contrast medium. (authors)

  12. Subcutaneous Injection of Adalimumab Trial compared with Control (SCIATiC): a randomised controlled trial of adalimumab injection compared with placebo for patients receiving physiotherapy treatment for sciatica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Nefyn H; Jenkins, Alison; Goulden, Nia; Hoare, Zoe; Hughes, Dyfrig A; Wood, Eifiona; Foster, Nadine E; Walsh, David A; Carnes, Dawn; Sparkes, Valerie; Hay, Elaine M; Isaacs, John; Konstantinou, Kika; Morrissey, Dylan; Karppinen, Jaro; Genevay, Stephane; Wilkinson, Clare

    2017-10-01

    Biological treatments such as adalimumab (Humira ® ; AbbVie Ltd, Maidenhead, UK) are antibodies targeting tumour necrosis factor alpha, released from ruptured intervertebral discs, which might be useful in sciatica. Recent systematic reviews concluded that they might be effective, but that a definitive randomised controlled trial was needed. Usual care in the NHS typically includes a physiotherapy intervention. To test whether or not injections of adalimumab plus physiotherapy are more clinically effective and cost-effective than injections of saline plus physiotherapy for patients with sciatica. Pragmatic, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial with blinded participants and clinicians, and an outcome assessment and statistical analysis with concurrent economic evaluation and internal pilot. Participants were referred from primary care and musculoskeletal services to outpatient physiotherapy clinics. Adults with persistent symptoms of sciatica of 1-6 months' duration and with moderate to high levels of disability. Eligibility was assessed by research physiotherapists according to clinical criteria for diagnosing sciatica. After a second eligibility check, trial participants were randomised to receive two doses of adalimumab (80 mg and then 40 mg 2 weeks later) or saline injections. Both groups were referred for a course of physiotherapy. Outcomes were measured at the start, and after 6 weeks' and 6 months' follow-up. The main outcome measure was the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Other outcomes: leg pain version of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire, Sciatica Bothersomeness Index, EuroQol-5 Dimensions, 5-level version, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, resource use, risk of persistent disabling pain, pain trajectory based on a single question, Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia and adverse effects. To detect an effect size of 0.4 with 90% power, a 5% significance level for a two-tailed t -test and 80% retention

  13. Experimental validation of combustion control with multi-pulse fuel injection

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Luo, X.; Velayutham, S.; Willems, F.P.T.

    2017-01-01

    Closed-loop combustion control helps to achieve precise fuel injection and robust engine performance against disturbances. The controller design complexity increases greatly with larger number of fuel injection pulses due to the coupled influence of changing individual pulse on the combustion

  14. The hemostatic effect of endoscopic sodium hyaluronate injection in peptic ulcer bleeding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Yong Kyun; Kim, Chang Seop; Kim, Si Young; Park, Jung Ho; Kim, Hong Joo; Park, Dong Il; Sohn, Chong H; Jeon, Woo Kyu; Kim, Byung Ik; Shin, Jun Ho; Son, Byung Ho

    2007-06-01

    Endoscopic injection therapy is a well-established method of controlling peptic ulcer bleeding but it is not clear which agent would be the best choice for injection material. In this study, we evaluated the effect of Sodium Hyaluronate for control of ulcer bleeding. The subjects consisted of 26 patients with major peptic ulcer hemorrhage from June 2000 to August 2001. There were 17 gastric ulcers, 7 duodenal ulcers and 2 ulcers at anastomosis site. According to modified Forrest classifications, there were 7 active bleeding (spurting, 3; oozing, 4) and 19 stigmata of recent hemorrhage (visible vessel, 14; fresh blood clots, 5). Sodium Hyaluronate-saline solution was injected to control the bleeding. The initial and permanent hemostatic rate, rebleeding rate, and other complications were retrospectively evaluated. The initial hemostatic rate was 25/26 (96.2%) and re-bleeding rate 3/26 (11.5%). The success rate of the second trial of Sodium Hyaluronate injection was 3/3 (100%). Overall, the permanent hemostatic rate was 25/26 (96.2%) and there were no complications related to Sodium Hyaluronate injection. Sodium Hyaluronate is an excellent candidate agent for endoscopic injection therapy because of its convenience and safety. Further prospective randomized trials with other hemostatic methods are needed.

  15. Remifentanil Prevents Withdrawal Movements Caused by Intravenous Injection of Rocuronium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Byung In; Choi, Seung Ho; Shin, Yang-Sik; Lee, Sung Jin; Yoon, Kyung Bong; Shin, Seo Kyung

    2008-01-01

    Purpose The incidence of pain induced withdrawal movement following intravenous injection of rocuronium is high. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was designed to evaluate the effect of pretreatment of remifentanil on the withdrawal movements due to intravenous injection of rocuronium during anesthetic induction. Materials and Methods Ninety adult female patients undergoing thyroidectomy were randomly allocated to three groups. Each patient intravenously received one of three solutions of equal volume (4 mL): normal saline (Group I, n = 30), 0.5 µg/kg remifentanil (Group II, n = 30) or 1 µg/kg remifentanil (Group III, n = 30). Thirty seconds after remifentanil administration, anesthesia was induced with 5 mg/kg IV thiopental. Twenty seconds after thiopental injection, 0.6 mg/kg IV rocuronium was administered (injection rate of 0.5 mL/sec) and patients' withdrawal movements were assessed. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate were assessed on arrival in the operation room, before the tracheal intubation and immediately, 1 and 2 min after the tracheal intubation. Results The incidence of withdrawal movements was significantly lower in both of the remifentanil groups (3 and 0% in Group II and III, respectively) than in the saline group (70%). Remifentanil attenuated the increase of heart rate and MAP immediately and 1 min after the tracheal intubation. Conclusion The pretreatment with 0.5 and 1.0 µg/kg remifentanil of bolus doses prevented the withdrawal movements caused by rocuronium injection, and effectively blunted cardiovascular activation following tracheal intubation. PMID:18452256

  16. Evaluation of peritoneal endometriosis treatment using intralesional acetylsalicylic acid injection in rabbits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saad-Hossne, Rogério; Barretto, Adriana Beatriz; Siqueira, Juliana Menezes; Denadai, Rafael

    2016-04-01

    To investigate the efficacy of intralesional 20% aspirin injection for treatment of experimental peritoneal endometriosis. Peritoneal endometriosis was experimentally induced in forty adult nulligravid female rabbits. On day 30 post-endometriosis induction, rabbits were randomly divided to assess early (10 days) and late (20 days) effects of intralesional injection of physiological saline solution (control groups) in comparison to intralesional injection of 20% bicarbonate aspirin solution (experimental groups) as follows: control group 1 (10 days, n=10); control group 2 (20 days, n=10); experimental group 3 (10 days, n=10); experimental group 4 (20 days, n=10). Resected tissues, including endometriosis foci, were qualitatively (general morphology and signs of inflammatory cells infiltrate, necrosis and apoptosis) and quantitatively (remaining endometriosis area) assessed by histopathological analysis. Extensive necrosis, hemorrhage, apoptosis, and fibrosis were observed in the experimental groups 3 and 4. Groups 1 and 2 presented typical endometrial tissue cysts, respectively. Groups 3 and 4 showed sparse endometrial tissue foci and no endometrial tissue, respectively. Quantitative analysis revealed that aspirin-treated groups 3 and 4 had significantly (pendometriosis area, compared to control groups 1 and 2. Intralesional 20% aspirin injection caused total destruction of peritoneal endometriosis foci in rabbits.

  17. To study the effect of injection dexmedetomidine for prevention of pain due to propofol injection and to compare it with injection lignocaine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manisha Sapate

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Pain due to injection propofol is a common problem. Different methods are used to decrease the pain but with limited success. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of injection dexmedetomidine 0.2 mcg/kg for prevention of pain due to propofol injection and compare it with injection lignocaine 0.2 mg/kg. METHOD: After taking permission of the Institutional Ethical Committee, written informed consent was obtained from all patients, in a randomized prospective study. 60 American Society of Anesthesiology I and II patients of age range 20-60 years of either sex posted for elective surgeries under general anaesthesia were randomly allocated into two groups. Group I (dexmedetomidine group: Inj. dexmedetomidine 0.2 mcg/kg diluted in 5 mL normal saline and Group II (lignocaine group: Inj. lignocaine 0.2 mg/kg diluted in 5 mL normal saline. IV line was secured with 20 G cannula and venous occlusion was applied to forearm using a pneumatic tourniquet and inflated to 70 mm Hg for 1 min. Study drug was injected, tourniquet released and then 25% of the calculated dose of propofol was given intravenously over 10 s. After 10 s of injection, severity of pain was evaluated using McCrirrick and Hunter scale and then remaining propofol and neuromuscular blocking agent was given. Endotracheal intubation was done and anaesthesia was maintained on O2, N2O and isoflurane on intermittent positive pressure ventilation with Bain's circuit and inj. vecuronium was used as muscle relaxant. RESULTS: Demographic data showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups. There was no statistically significant difference between 2 groups in respect to inj. propofol pain. No adverse effects like oedema, pain, wheal response at the site of injection were observed in the two groups.

  18. Effect Of Pyridoxine Injection In Japanese Quail Eggs On HATCHABILITY, Performance And Some Physiological Parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    ELSAYED, M.A.; WAKWAK, M.M.; MAHROSE, KH.M.

    2010-01-01

    The present study was carried out at the poultry farm found in the Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Inshas, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt, during January 2009. A total number of two hundreds and seventy five quail eggs were used in an experiment of a completely randomized design to estimate hatchability percentage, chick weight at hatch, growth performance, some blood parameters and carcass traits of Japanese quails as affected by injecting their eggs with pyridoxine. Eggs were divided into 5 groups (55 eggs each); the first group (without injection) was served as control while the second group was injected in the width end of the egg with 500 μl saline. The third, fourth and fifth groups were injected in the width end of the Japanese quail eggs with 40, 80 and 120 μg pyridoxine, respectively, dissolved in 500 μl saline. Hatchability percentage, live body weight, daily body weight gain and some organ weights (liver, gizzard and heart) were studied. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected for analyses. It was observed that the groups of quail eggs received 120 μg pyridoxine injection recorded the highest hatchability percent. Chick weight at hatch was non-significantly affected by saline solution injection. The birds hatched from the groups of quail eggs received 120μg pyridoxine recorded the highest live body weight, especially during the 2 nd and 3 rd weeks of age. The daily body weight gain was significantly affected by pyridoxine injection only during the intervals of 1 to 2, 3 to 4 and from 1 to 6 weeks of age. Serum total protein, albumin and globulin concentrations were highly significantly elevated in the birds hatched from the groups of quail eggs received 120μg pyridoxine than other groups. Serum AST activity was highly significantly increased in the birds hatched from the groups of quail eggs received 40 μg pyridoxine than other groups while serum ALT activity and calcium concentration were non

  19. Shenfu injection reduces toxicity of bupivacaine in rats

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    王强; 刘艳红; 雷毅; 杨静; 陈绍洋; 陈敏; 熊利泽

    2003-01-01

    Objective To investigate the effects of injecting Shenfu, an extract of traditional Chinese herbal medicines, on the central nervous system (CNS) and the cardiac toxicity of bupivacaine in rats. Methods Sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing form 280 to 320 g, were randomly assigned to two groups (n=8 in each group). Animals in the control group received a saline injection 10 ml/kg while animals in the Shenfu group received an injection of Shenfu 10 ml/kg intraperitoneally 30 minutes before intravenous infusion of bupivacaine. Lead Ⅱ of an electrocardiogram (EEG) was continuously monitored after 3 needles were inserted into the skin of both forelimbs and the left hind-leg of each rat. The femoral artery was cannulated for measurement of arterial blood pressure and blood sampling. The femoral vein was cannulated for the infusion of bupivacaine. After baseline measurement (arterial blood pressure, heart rate and arterial blood gas), 0.5% bupivacaine was infused intravenously at a rate of 2 mg*kg-1*min-1 to all animals until asystole occurred. The time of bupivacaine-induced convulsions, arrhythmia and asystole were determined. The dose of bupivacaine was then calculated at the corresponding time point. Results The doses of bupivacaine that induced convulsions, arrhythmia and cardiac arrest were remarkably larger in Shenfu injection-treated animals than in saline-treated rats [convulsions, (10.5±1.9) mg/kg vs (7.2±1.5) mg/kg; arrhythmia (10.5±2.0) mg/kg vs (7.2±1.9) mg/kg; asystole, (32.8±8.5) mg/kg vs (25.0±5.0) mg/kg; P=0.006, 0.009 and 0.044, respectively]. Conclusion The Shenfu injection is able to reduce the toxicity of bupiralaine to CNS and cardiac system in rats.

  20. Effect of intrahippocampal CA1 injection of insulin on spatial learning and memory deficits in diabetic rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Golbarg Ghiasi

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most important diseases in all over the world. Insulin and its receptor are found in specific area of CNS with a variety of regions-specific functions different from its role in direct glucose regulation in the periphery. The hippocampus and cerebral cortex distributed insulin and insulin receptor has been shown to be involved in brain cognitive functions. Previous studies about the effect of insulin on memory in diabetes are controversial and further investigation is necessary.Methods: Seventy male NMRI rats (250-300 g were randomly divided into control, diabetic, saline-saline, saline-insulin (12, 18 or 24 mU, diabetic-saline, diabetic-insulin (12, 18 or 24 mU groups. Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (65 mg/kg, ip. Saline or insulin were injected bilaterally (1 µl/rat into CA1 region of hippocampus during 1 min. Thirty minutes later, water maze training was performed.Results: Insulin had a dose dependent effect. The spatial learning and memory were impaired with diabetes, and improved by insulin. Escape latency and swimming distance in a water maze in insulin treated animals were significantly lower (P<0.05 than control and diabetic groups. Percentage of time spent by animals in a target quarter in probe trial session showed a significant difference among groups. This difference was significant between insulin treated and the other groups (P<0.05.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that injection of insulin into hippocampal CA1 area may have a dose-dependent effect on spatial learning and memory in diabetic rats.

  1. Mapping the Salinity Gradient in a Microfluidic Device with Schlieren Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen-li Sun

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available This work presents the use of the schlieren imaging to quantify the salinity gradients in a microfluidic device. By partially blocking the back focal plane of the objective lens, the schlieren microscope produces an image with patterns that correspond to spatial derivative of refractive index in the specimen. Since salinity variation leads to change in refractive index, the fluid mixing of an aqueous salt solution of a known concentration and water in a T-microchannel is used to establish the relation between salinity gradients and grayscale readouts. This relation is then employed to map the salinity gradients in the target microfluidic device from the grayscale readouts of the corresponding micro-schlieren image. For saline solution with salinity close to that of the seawater, the grayscale readouts vary linearly with the salinity gradient, and the regression line is independent of the flow condition and the salinity of the injected solution. It is shown that the schlieren technique is well suited to quantify the salinity gradients in microfluidic devices, for it provides a spatially resolved, non-invasive, full-field measurement.

  2. Fluid Dynamics of Carbon Dioxide Disposal into Saline Aquifers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia, Julio Enrique [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2003-01-01

    Injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) into saline aquifers has been proposed as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (geological carbon sequestration). Large-scale injection of CO2 will induce a variety of coupled physical and chemical processes, including multiphase fluid flow, fluid pressurization and changes in effective stress, solute transport, and chemical reactions between fluids and formation minerals. This work addresses some of these issues with special emphasis given to the physics of fluid flow in brine formations. An investigation of the thermophysical properties of pure carbon dioxide, water and aqueous solutions of CO2 and NaCl has been conducted. As a result, accurate representations and models for predicting the overall thermophysical behavior of the system CO2-H2O-NaCl are proposed and incorporated into the numerical simulator TOUGH2/ECO2. The basic problem of CO2 injection into a radially symmetric brine aquifer is used to validate the results of TOUGH2/ECO2. The numerical simulator has been applied to more complex flow problem including the CO2 injection project at the Sleipner Vest Field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea and the evaluation of fluid flow dynamics effects of CO2 injection into aquifers. Numerical simulation results show that the transport at Sleipner is dominated by buoyancy effects and that shale layers control vertical migration of CO2. These results are in good qualitative agreement with time lapse surveys performed at the site. High-resolution numerical simulation experiments have been conducted to study the onset of instabilities (viscous fingering) during injection of CO2 into saline aquifers. The injection process can be classified as immiscible displacement of an aqueous phase by a less dense and less viscous gas phase. Under disposal conditions (supercritical CO2) the viscosity of carbon

  3. Short-term muscle atrophy caused by botulinum toxin-A local injection impairs fracture healing in the rat femur.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Yongqiang; Ma, Yongcheng; Wang, Xuepeng; Jin, Fangchun; Ge, Shengfang

    2012-04-01

    Damaged bone is sensitive to mechanical stimulation throughout the remodeling phase of bone healing. Muscle damage and muscular atrophy associated with open fractures and subsequent fixation are not beneficial to maintaining optimum conditions for mechanical stability. The aim of this study was to investigate whether local muscle atrophy and dysfunction affect fracture healing in a rat femur fracture model. We combined the rat model of a short period atrophy of the quadriceps with femur fracture. Forty-four-month-old male Wistar rats were adopted for this study. Two units of botulinum toxin-A (BXTA) were administered locally into the right side of the quadriceps of each rat, while the same dose of saline was injected into the contralateral quadriceps. After BXTA had been fully absorbed by the quadriceps, osteotomy was performed in both femurs with intramedullary fixation. Gross observation and weighing of muscle tissue, X-ray analysis, callus histology, and bone biomechanical testing were performed at different time points up to 8 weeks post-surgery. Local injection of BXTA led to a significant decrease in the volume and weight of the quadriceps compared to the control side. At the eighth week, the left side femurs of the saline-injected quadriceps almost reached bony union, and fibrous calluses were completely calcified into woven bone. However, a gap was still visible in the BXTA-treated side on X-ray images. As showed by bone histology, there were no mature osseous calluses or woven bone on the BXTA-treated side, but a resorption pattern was evident. Biomechanical testing indicated that the femurs of the BXTA-treated side exhibited inferior mechanical properties compared with the control side. The inferior outcome following BXTA injection, compared with saline injection, in terms of callus resistance may be the consequence of unexpected load and mechanical unsteadiness caused by muscle atrophy and dysfunction. Copyright © 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society.

  4. Expression of apoptosis-regulating genes in the rat prostate following botulinum toxin type a injection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gorgal Tiago

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Onabotulinumtoxin A (OnabotA injection has been investigated as a novel treatment for benign prostatic enlargement caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia. An OnabotA - induced volume reduction caused by sympathetic fibers impairment has been proposed as a potential mechanism of action. Our aim was to investigate the expression of apoptosis-regulating proteins in the rat prostate following OnabotA intraprostatic injection. Methods Adult Wistar rats were injected in the ventral lobes of the prostate with 10 U of OnabotA or saline. A set of OnabotA-injected animals was further treated with 0.5 mg/kg of phenylephrine (PHE subcutaneously daily. All animals were sacrificed after 1 week and had their prostates harvested. Immunohistochemical staining was performed for Bax, Bcl-xL and caspase-3 proteins and visualized by the avidin-biotin method. The optical density of the glandular cells was also determined, with measurement of differences between average optical densities for each group. Results Saline-treated animals showed intense epithelial staining for Bcl-xL and a faint labelling for both Bax and Caspase-3. OnabotA-treated rats showed a reduced epithelial staining of Bcl-xL and a consistently increased Bax and Caspase-3 staining when compared with saline-treated animals. PHE-treated animals showed a stronger Bcl-xL staining and reduced staining of both Bax and Caspase-3 when compared to the OnabotA group. Mean signal intensity measurements for each immunoreaction confirmed a significant decrease of the signal intensity for Bcl-xL and a significant increase of the signal intensity for Bax and Caspase 3 in OnabotA-injected animals when compared with the control group. In OnabotA+PHE treated animals mean signal intensity for Bcl-xL, Bax and Caspase 3 immunoreactions was identical to that of the control animals. Conclusions These results support the hypothesis that OnabotA activates apoptotic pathways in the rat prostate through a

  5. The Aquarius Ocean Salinity Mission High Stability L-band Radiometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pellerano, Fernando A.; Piepmeier, Jeffrey; Triesky, Michael; Horgan, Kevin; Forgione, Joshua; Caldwell, James; Wilson, William J.; Yueh, Simon; Spencer, Michael; McWatters, Dalia; hide

    2006-01-01

    The NASA Earth Science System Pathfinder (ESSP) mission Aquarius, will measure global ocean surface salinity with approx.120 km spatial resolution every 7-days with an average monthly salinity accuracy of 0.2 psu (parts per thousand). This requires an L-band low-noise radiometer with the long-term calibration stability of less than or equal to 0.15 K over 7 days. The instrument utilizes a push-broom configuration which makes it impractical to use a traditional warm load and cold plate in front of the feedhorns. Therefore, to achieve the necessary performance Aquarius utilizes a Dicke radiometer with noise injection to perform a warm - hot calibration. The radiometer sequence between antenna, Dicke load, and noise diode has been optimized to maximize antenna observations and therefore minimize NEDT. This is possible due the ability to thermally control the radiometer electronics and front-end components to 0.1 Crms over 7 days.

  6. High Bandwidth Zero Voltage Injection Method for Sensorless Control of PMSM

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ge, Xie; Lu, Kaiyuan; Kumar, Dwivedi Sanjeet

    2014-01-01

    High frequency signal injection is widely used in PMSM sensorless control system for low speed operations. The conventional voltage injection method often needs filters to obtain particular harmonic component in order to estimate the rotor position; or it requires several voltage pulses to be inj......High frequency signal injection is widely used in PMSM sensorless control system for low speed operations. The conventional voltage injection method often needs filters to obtain particular harmonic component in order to estimate the rotor position; or it requires several voltage pulses...... in a fast current regulation performance. Injection of zero voltage also minimizes the inverter voltage error effects caused by the dead-time....

  7. Percutaneous injection of hemostatic agents for severe blunt hepatic trauma: an experimental study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Jie; Lv, Faqin; Li, Wenxiu; Zhang, Huiqin; Luo, Yukun; An, Lichun; Li, Tanshi

    2008-01-01

    This study was designed to evaluate whether percutaneous injection of hemostatic agents under the guidance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can stop hemorrhage from severe hepatic trauma. Eighteen dogs were impacted by a miniature impactor to create blunt hepatic trauma. Fourteen with appropriate liver lesions were divided into two groups: the treatment group (n=7) and the control group (n=7). In the treatment group, hemocoagulase atrox and α-cyanoacrylate were respectively injected into the injury sites and transected micro-vessels under the guidance of CEUS. In the control group, normal saline was injected into the injury sites. CEUS and CT were performed at 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after the focal injection. Surviving animals were killed on the 21st day for pathologic examination. All animals of the treatment group survived. Three dogs of the control group died in the first 24 h. In the treatment group, CEUS and CT demonstrated that hepatic lesions became smaller gradually from the 3rd to the 21st day after injection. The focal injection of hemostatic agents under the guidance of CEUS can stop hemorrhage from hepatic trauma of grade III∝IV or IV. During the period of 3 weeks, no side effect was found. (orig.)

  8. Percutaneous injection of hemostatic agents for severe blunt hepatic trauma: an experimental study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tang, Jie; Lv, Faqin; Li, Wenxiu; Zhang, Huiqin; Luo, Yukun; An, Lichun [Chinese People' s Liberation Army General Hospital, Department of Ultrasound, Beijing (China); Li, Tanshi [Chinese People' s Liberation Army General Hospital, Department of Intensive Care Unit, Beijing (China)

    2008-12-15

    This study was designed to evaluate whether percutaneous injection of hemostatic agents under the guidance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can stop hemorrhage from severe hepatic trauma. Eighteen dogs were impacted by a miniature impactor to create blunt hepatic trauma. Fourteen with appropriate liver lesions were divided into two groups: the treatment group (n=7) and the control group (n=7). In the treatment group, hemocoagulase atrox and {alpha}-cyanoacrylate were respectively injected into the injury sites and transected micro-vessels under the guidance of CEUS. In the control group, normal saline was injected into the injury sites. CEUS and CT were performed at 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after the focal injection. Surviving animals were killed on the 21st day for pathologic examination. All animals of the treatment group survived. Three dogs of the control group died in the first 24 h. In the treatment group, CEUS and CT demonstrated that hepatic lesions became smaller gradually from the 3rd to the 21st day after injection. The focal injection of hemostatic agents under the guidance of CEUS can stop hemorrhage from hepatic trauma of grade III{proportional_to}IV or IV. During the period of 3 weeks, no side effect was found. (orig.)

  9. Computer control of the ISX-B neutral injection beamlines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hanna, P.C.

    1982-09-01

    A system of controls for the Impurity Study Experiment (ISX-B) neutral injection beamlines at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is presented. The system uses standard CAMAC equipment interfaced to the actual beamline controls and driven by a PDP-11/34 mini-computer. It is designed to relieve the operator of most of the mundane tasks of beam injection and also to reduce the number of operators needed to monitor multiple beamlines

  10. Salinization and Saline Environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vengosh, A.

    2003-12-01

    One of the most conspicuous phenomena of water-quality degradation, particularly in arid and semi-arid zones, is salinization of water and soil resources. Salinization is a long-term phenomenon, and during the last century many aquifers and river basins have become unsuitable for human consumption owing to high levels of salinity. Future exploitation of thousands of wells in the Middle East and in many other water-scarce regions in the world depends, to a large extent, on the degree and rate of salinization. Moreover, every year a large fraction of agricultural land is salinized and becomes unusable.Salinization is a global environmental phenomenon that affects many different aspects of our life (Williams, 2001a, b): changing the chemical composition of natural water resources (lakes, rivers, and groundwater), degrading the quality of water supply to the domestic and agriculture sectors, contribution to loss of biodiversity, taxonomic replacement by halotolerant species ( Williams, 2001a, b), loss of fertile soil, collapse of agricultural and fishery industries, changing of local climatic conditions, and creating severe health problems (e.g., the Aral Basin). The damage due to salinity in the Colorado River Basin alone, for example, ranges between 500 and 750 million per year and could exceed 1 billion per year if the salinity in the Imperial Dam increases from 700 mg L-1 to 900 mg L-1 (Bureau of Reclamation, 2003, USA). In Australia, accelerating soil salinization has become a massive environmental and economic disaster. Western Australia is "losing an area equal to one football oval an hour" due to spreading salinity ( Murphy, 1999). The annual cost for dryland salinity in Australia is estimated as AU700 million for lost land and AU$130 million for lost production ( Williams et al., 2002). In short, the salinization process has become pervasive.Salinity in water is usually defined by the chloride content (mg L-1) or total dissolved solids content (TDS, mg L-1or g

  11. Development of integrated control system for smart factory in the injection molding process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, M. J.; Kim, C. Y.

    2018-03-01

    In this study, we proposed integrated control system for automation of injection molding process required for construction of smart factory. The injection molding process consists of heating, tool close, injection, cooling, tool open, and take-out. Take-out robot controller, image processing module, and process data acquisition interface module are developed and assembled to integrated control system. By adoption of integrated control system, the injection molding process can be simplified and the cost for construction of smart factory can be inexpensive.

  12. Botulinum Neurotoxin A Injections Influence Stretching of the Gastrocnemius Muscle-Tendon Unit in an Animal Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher J. Tuohy

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Botulinum Neurotoxin A (BoNT-A injections have been used for the treatment of muscle contractures and spasticity. This study assessed the influence of (BoNT-A injections on passive biomechanical properties of the muscle-tendon unit. Mouse gastrocnemius muscle (GC was injected with BoNT-A (n = 18 or normal saline (n = 18 and passive, non-destructive, in vivo load relaxation experimentation was performed to examine how the muscle-tendon unit behaves after chemical denervation with BoNT-A. Injection of BoNT-A impaired passive muscle recovery (15% vs. 35% recovery to pre-stretching baseline, p < 0.05 and decreased GC stiffness (0.531 ± 0.061 N/mm vs. 0.780 ± 0.037 N/mm, p < 0.05 compared to saline controls. The successful use of BoNT-A injections as an adjunct to physical therapy may be in part attributed to the disruption of the stretch reflex; thereby modulating in vivo passive muscle properties. However, it is also possible that BoNT-A injection may alter the structure of skeletal muscle; thus modulating the in vivo passive biomechanical properties of the muscle-tendon unit.

  13. Water conservation and allocation guideline for oilfield injection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-01-01

    This paper was prepared as a guide for regulatory agencies and developers using non-saline water sources in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) schemes. A systems approach was used to achieve specific environmental outcomes that adhered to the Water Conservation and Allocation Policy for Oilfield Injection. The guide was applicable to licence renewal applications for projects operating and licensed to use non-saline water resources, as well as new licence applications for oilfield injection use. The guide provided recommended water conservation practices and application requirements, and outlined regulatory procedures and steps for obtaining a Water Act licence. The guideline was prepared to eliminate the use of non-saline water in EOR projects where feasible alternatives existed, as well as to identify areas with water shortages and reduce the use of non-saline water. The guide included monitoring and reporting requirements to improve the evaluation of water use practices and outlined current initiatives to address water conservation and research. It was concluded that outcomes from the program will include reliable quality water supplies for a sustainable economy, healthy aquatic ecosystems, and safe, secure drinking water supplies for Albertans. 3 tabs., 5 figs

  14. Salinity controls on Na incorporation in Red Sea planktonic foraminifera

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mezger, E. M.; de Nooijer, L. J.; Boer, W.; Brummer, G. J. A.; Reichart, G. J.

    2016-12-01

    Whereas several well-established proxies are available for reconstructing past temperatures, salinity remains challenging to assess. Reconstructions based on the combination of (in)organic temperature proxies and foraminiferal stable oxygen isotopes result in relatively large uncertainties, which may be reduced by application of a direct salinity proxy. Cultured benthic and planktonic foraminifera showed that Na incorporation in foraminiferal shell calcite provides a potential independent proxy for salinity. Here we present the first field calibration of such a potential proxy. Living planktonic foraminiferal specimens from the Red Sea surface waters were collected and analyzed for their Na/Ca content using laser ablation quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Using the Red Sea as a natural laboratory, the calibration covers a broad range of salinities over a steep gradient within the same water mass. For both Globigerinoides ruber and Globigerinoides sacculifer calcite Na/Ca increases with salinity, albeit with a relatively large intraspecimen and interspecimen variability. The field-based calibration is similar for both species from a salinity of 36.8 up to 39.6, while values for G. sacculifer deviate from this trend in the northernmost transect. It is hypothesized that the foraminifera in the northernmost part of the Red Sea are (partly) expatriated and hence should be excluded from the Na/Ca-salinity calibration. Incorporation of Na in foraminiferal calcite therefore provides a potential proxy for salinity, although species-specific calibrations are still required and more research on the effect of temperature is needed.

  15. Changes in Hepatic Blood Flow During Transcatheter Arterial Infusion with Heated Saline in Hepatic VX2 Tumor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao Wei; Li Jing; Wu Zhiqun; Zhou Changxi; Liu Xi; Wan Yi; Duan Yunyou

    2013-01-01

    Purpose. This study evaluates the influence of transcatheter arterial infusion with heated saline on hepatic arterial and portal venous blood flows to tumor and normal hepatic tissues in a rabbit VX2 tumor model. Methods. All animal experiments were approved by the institutional animal care and use committee. Twenty rabbits with VX2 liver tumors were divided into the following two groups: (a) the treated group (n = 10), which received a 60 mL transarterial injection of 60 °C saline via the hepatic artery; (b) the control group (n = 10), which received a 60 mL injection of 37 °C saline via the hepatic artery. Using ultrasonography, the blood flows in both the portal vein and hepatic artery were measured, and the changes in the hemodynamic indices were recorded before and immediately after the injection. The changes in the tumor and normal liver tissues of the two groups were histopathologically examined by hematoxylin and eosin staining after the injection. Results. After the transcatheter arterial heated infusion, there was a decrease in the hepatic arterial blood flow to the tumor tissue, a significant decrease in the hepatic artery mean velocity (P < 0.05), and a significant increase in the resistance index (P < 0.05). On hematoxylin and eosin staining, there were no obvious signs of tissue destruction in the normal liver tissue or the tumor tissue after heated perfusion, and coagulated blood plasma was observed in the cavities of intratumoral blood vessels in the treated group. Conclusions. The changes in tumor blood flow in the rabbit VX2 tumor model were presumably caused by microthrombi in the tumor vessels, and the portal vein likely mediated the heat loss in normal liver tissue during the transarterial heated infusion.

  16. Changes in Hepatic Blood Flow During Transcatheter Arterial Infusion with Heated Saline in Hepatic VX2 Tumor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cao Wei, E-mail: cawe-001@163.com [Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Department of Interventional Radiology (China); Li Jing, E-mail: lijing02@fmmu.edu.cn [Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery (China); Wu Zhiqun, E-mail: zhiqunwu@fmmu.edu.cn [Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Department of Interventional Radiology (China); Zhou Changxi, E-mail: changxizhou@163.com [Chinese PLA General Hospital, Department of Respiratory Disease (China); Liu Xi, E-mail: xiliu@fmmu.edu.cn [Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Department of Ultrasound Diagnostics (China); Wan Yi, E-mail: yiwan@163.com [The Fourth Military Medical University, Department of Health Statistics, Institute for Health Informatics (China); Duan Yunyou, E-mail: yunyouduan@fmmu.edu.cn [Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Department of Ultrasound Diagnostics (China)

    2013-06-15

    Purpose. This study evaluates the influence of transcatheter arterial infusion with heated saline on hepatic arterial and portal venous blood flows to tumor and normal hepatic tissues in a rabbit VX2 tumor model. Methods. All animal experiments were approved by the institutional animal care and use committee. Twenty rabbits with VX2 liver tumors were divided into the following two groups: (a) the treated group (n = 10), which received a 60 mL transarterial injection of 60 Degree-Sign C saline via the hepatic artery; (b) the control group (n = 10), which received a 60 mL injection of 37 Degree-Sign C saline via the hepatic artery. Using ultrasonography, the blood flows in both the portal vein and hepatic artery were measured, and the changes in the hemodynamic indices were recorded before and immediately after the injection. The changes in the tumor and normal liver tissues of the two groups were histopathologically examined by hematoxylin and eosin staining after the injection. Results. After the transcatheter arterial heated infusion, there was a decrease in the hepatic arterial blood flow to the tumor tissue, a significant decrease in the hepatic artery mean velocity (P < 0.05), and a significant increase in the resistance index (P < 0.05). On hematoxylin and eosin staining, there were no obvious signs of tissue destruction in the normal liver tissue or the tumor tissue after heated perfusion, and coagulated blood plasma was observed in the cavities of intratumoral blood vessels in the treated group. Conclusions. The changes in tumor blood flow in the rabbit VX2 tumor model were presumably caused by microthrombi in the tumor vessels, and the portal vein likely mediated the heat loss in normal liver tissue during the transarterial heated infusion.

  17. Drug-induced MR urography: the effects of furosemide and intravenous saline injection on MR urography of obstructed and non-obstructed urinary tract

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Jeong Ha; Lee, Myung Jun; Lee, Chang Joon [National Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2001-10-01

    To determine the usefulness of MR urography technique for the evaluation of urinary systems in patients with obstructed urinary tract and normal volunteers with non-obstructed urinary tract after intravenous normal saline and diuretic injection. Three normal volunteers and 12 patients with urinary tract obstruction [ureteral calculi (n=8), extraurinary mass (n=1), ureteral tumor invasion (n=3)] underwent MR urography using a 1.0T scanner and a 2D non-breath-hold heavily T2-weighted fast spin-cho sequence. These acquisition were post-processed with a maximum intensity projection (MIP) algorithm. Two acquisitions were performed, the first prior to saline solution infusion following standard MR urography procedures, and the second, within 2-3 minutes of the infusion of 250 ml saline solution followed by 20 mg of Lasix administered intravenously. For this latter, drug-induced MR urography procedures were followed. In healthy volunteer (n=3) and those experiencing partial obstruction (n=4) by a urinary stone, drug-induced MR urography provided better images of the urinary tract than did standard MR urography. In those in whom a urinary stone or tumor had caused complete obstruction (n=8), standard MR urography provided good images, as did drug-induced MR urography. In patients with a partially or non-obstructed urinary tract, drug-induced MR urography provided better anatomic and functional details of the kidney and urinary tract than did standard MR urography. In those experiencing complete obstruction of the urinary tract, however, standard or drug-induced MR urography permitted very adequate evaluation of the tract, and drug-induced MR urography was unnecessary.

  18. Plant extracts, metaldehyde and saline solutions on the population control of Bradybaena similaris

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junir Antonio Lutinski

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: This study aimed to test the efficiency of plant extracts, metaldehyde and saline solutions, as alternatives to the population control of the snail Bradybaena similaris , and to investigate the effect of the plant extracts in reducing the damage of the snail on Brassica oleracea . The experiments were performed at the Entomology Laboratory of the Universidade Comunitária da Região de Chapecó (Unochapecó, using a random experimental design with nine treatments in triplicate. Five adult individuals of B. similaris were subjected to each trial, totaling 135 snails. The following treatments were tested: cinnamon ( Melia azedarach , timbó ( Ateleia glazioveana , rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis , mate herb ( Ilex paraguariensis , two concentrations of metaldehyde (3% and 5%, two concentrations of salt solution (5% and 10 %, and a control treatment (distilled water. To evaluate the survival of B. similaris it was checked the treatments every 24 hours, over four consecutive days. The results revealed that the two concentrations of metaldehyde were fully efficient, that the saline solution (10% had and intermediate efficiency, and that all other treatments were not effective. The treatment with the M. azedarach extract induced a higher consumption of B. oleracea , while the saline solution at 10% and the extracts of R. officinalis and I. paraguariensis inhibited leaf consumption.

  19. Particles and solutes migration in porous medium : radionuclides and clayey particles simultaneous transport under the effect of a salinity gradient

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faure, M.H.

    1994-01-01

    This work deals with the radiation protection of high-level and long-life radioactive waste storages. The colloids presence in ground waters can accelerate the radionuclides migration in natural geological deposits. The aim of this thesis is then to control particularly the particles motion in porous medium in order to anticipate quantitatively their migration. Liquid chromatography columns are filled with a clayey sand and fed with a decreasing concentration sodium chloride solution in order to study the particles outlet under a salinity gradient. When the porous medium undergoes a decrease of salinity it deteriorates. The adsorption of the cations : sodium 22, calcium 45, cesium 137 and neptunium 237 is then studied by the ions exchange method. The radionuclide solution is injected before the decrease of the feed solution salinity. The decrease of the sodium chloride concentration leads to the decrease of the radionuclides concentration because the adsorption competition between the sodium ion and the injected cation is lower. The particles transport, without fouling of the porous medium, is carried out in particular physical and chemical conditions which are described. (O.L.). 71 refs., 105 figs., 26 tabs

  20. Modelling souring in a high salinity reservoir

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adams, Michael; Crossland, Alan; Stott, Jim

    2006-03-15

    CAPCIS Ltd (Capcis) have developed a souring model for use in highly saline reservoirs where salinity limits the growth of sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB). Capcis have successfully applied the model to a field in North Africa. The conceptual basis of the model considers the course of the H2S from generation in the reservoir including dilution, sulphide retardation and scavenging and H2S fluid phase partitioning. At each stage mathematical equations governing the behaviour of the H2S were produced. In order to estimate the potential for H2S generation, it is required to know the chemistry of the injection and formation waters, as well as the properties of the indigenous SRB, i.e. the maximum salinity for their growth. This is determined by bottle testing of H2S generation by SRB at a range of injection/formation water ratios. The maximum salinity for SRB growth then determines the mixing ratios at which H2S generation takes place. Sulphide retardation due to adsorption at immobile interfaces was empirically modeled from reservoir data. Sulphide scavenging due to reaction with iron generated from corrosion was also modelled. Reservoir mineral scavenging was not modelled but could be incorporated in an extension to the model. Finally, in order to compute the gas-phase concentration of generated H2S, the H2S in the well stream is partitioned between the gas, oil and water phases. Capcis has carried out detailed computations of H2S solubility in crude oil and formation waters and the derivation of distribution ratios based on the respective partition coefficients using Gerard's line method, a modification of Henry's Law. (author) (tk)

  1. Hydrogen-rich saline protects retina against glutamate-induced excitotoxic injury in guinea pig.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Lihua; Ge, Li; Qin, Shucun; Shi, Yunzhi; Du, Changqing; Du, Hui; Liu, Liwei; Yu, Yang; Sun, Xuejun

    2012-01-01

    Molecular hydrogen (H(2)) is an efficient antioxidant that can selectively reduce hydroxyl radicals and inhibit oxidative stress-induced injuries. We investigated the protective effects and mechanism of hydrogen-rich saline in a glutamate-induced retinal injury model. Retinal excitotoxicity was induced in healthy guinea pigs by injecting glutamate into the vitreous cavity. After 30 min, hydrogen-rich saline was injected into the vitreous cavity, the peritoneal cavity or both. Seven days later, the retinal stress response was evaluated by examining the stress biomarkers, inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) and glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78). The impaired glutamate uptake was assessed by the expression of the excitatory amino acid transporter 1(EAAT-1). The retinal histopathological changes were investigated, focusing on the thicknesses of the entire retina and its inner layer, the number of cells in the retinal ganglion cell layer (GCL) and the ultrastructure of the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and glial cells. Compared with the glutamate-induced injury group, the hydrogen-rich saline treatment reduced the loss of cells in the GCL and thinning of the retina and attenuated cellular morphological damage. These improvements were greatest in animals that received H(2) injections into both the vitreous and the peritoneal cavities. The hydrogen-rich saline also inhibited the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in Müller cells, CD11b in microglia, and iNOS and GRP78 in glial cells. Moreover, the hydrogen-rich saline increased the expression of EAAT-1. In conclusion, the administration of hydrogen-rich saline through the intravitreal or/and intraperitoneal routes could reduce the retinal excitotoxic injury and promote retinal recovery. This result likely occurs by inhibiting the activation of glial cells, decreasing the production of the iNOS and GRP78 and promoting glutamate clearance. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. N2-fixation in fababean (vicia faba l.) grown in saline and non saline conditions using 15N tracer technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khalifa, Kh.; Kurdali, F.

    2002-09-01

    A pot experiment was conducted to study the performance of growing fababean and barley under saline conditions, in terms of, dry matter yield, total nitrogen and, percentages and amount of N derived from soil, fertilizer and atmosphere using 15 N isotope dilution method. Three saline treatments were performed: First, plants were grown in saline soil and irrigated with saline water (Ws Ss), Second, Plants were grown in saline soil and irrigated with saline water (Ws Ss); and Third, Plants grown in non saline soil and irrigated with saline water (Ws Sn). Furthermore, a control treatment was performed by using non-saline soil and non-saline water (Wn Sn). The different salinity treatments reduced plant growth and the reduction was more pronounced in fababean than in barley. However, under conditions of either saline soil-soft irrigation water or non saline soil-salty irrigation water, the relative growth reduction did not exceed 50% of the control; whereas, a significant negative effect was obtained when plants were grown under completely saline conditions of both soil and irrigation water. Percentage of N 2 -fixed (% Ndfa) was not negatively affected by saline conditions. However, our results clearly demonstrated that the effect of salinity in fababean was more evident on plant growth than on N 2 -fixing activity. Further studies are needed to obtain more salt tolerant faba bean genotypes in terms of growth and yield. This could be simultaneously improve yield and N 2 -fixation under sever saline conditions. (author)

  3. The effects of intratendinous and retrocalcaneal intrabursal injections of corticosteroid on the biomechanical properties of rabbit Achilles tendons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hugate, Ronald; Pennypacker, Jason; Saunders, Marnie; Juliano, Paul

    2004-04-01

    The use of corticosteroid injections in the treatment of retrocalcaneal bursitis is controversial. We assessed the effects of corticosteroid injections, both within the tendon substance and into the retrocalcaneal bursa, on the biomechanical properties of rabbit Achilles tendons. The systemic effects of bilateral corticosteroid injections were also studied. The rabbits were divided into three treatment groups. The rabbits in Group I received injections of corticosteroid into the Achilles tendon on the left side and injections of normal saline solution into the Achilles tendon on the right, those in Group II received injections of corticosteroid into the retrocalcaneal bursa on the left side and injections of saline solution into the Achilles tendon on the right, and those in Group III received injections of corticosteroid into the Achilles tendon on the left side and injections of corticosteroid into the retrocalcaneal bursa on the right. These injections were given weekly for three weeks. At four weeks after the final injection, the tendons were harvested and were tested biomechanically to determine failure load, midsubstance strain and total strain, modulus of elasticity, failure stress, and total energy absorbed. The site of failure was also documented. The groups were compared according to the location of the injections, the type of injection (steroid or saline solution), and the total systemic load of steroid. Specimens from limbs that had received intratendinous injections of corticosteroid showed significantly decreased failure stress compared with those from limbs that had received intratendinous injections of saline solution (p = 0.008). Specimens from limbs that had received intrabursal injections of corticosteroid demonstrated significantly decreased failure stress (p = 0.05), significantly decreased total energy absorbed (p = 0.017), and significantly increased total strain (p = 0.049) compared with specimens from limbs that had received intratendinous

  4. Impact on caesarean section rates following injections of sterile water (ICARIS): a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Nigel; Mårtensson, Lena B; Homer, Caroline; Webster, Joan; Gibbons, Kristen; Stapleton, Helen; Dos Santos, Natalie; Beckmann, Michael; Gao, Yu; Kildea, Sue

    2013-05-03

    Sterile water injections have been used as an effective intervention for the management of back pain during labour. The objective of the current research is to determine if sterile water injections, as an intervention for back pain in labour, will reduce the intrapartum caesarean section rate. A double blind randomised placebo controlled trialSetting: Maternity hospitals in AustraliaParticipants: 1866 women in labour, ≥18 years of age who have a singleton pregnancy with a fetus in a cephalic presentation at term (between 37 + 0 and 41 + 6 weeks gestation), who assess their back pain as equal to or greater than seven on a visual analogue scale when requesting analgesia and able to provide informed consent. Participants will be randomised to receive either 0.1 to 0.3 millilitres of sterile water or a normal saline placebo via four intradermal injections into four anatomical points surrounding the Michaelis' rhomboid over the sacral area. Two injections will be administered over the posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS) and the remaining two at two centimetres posterior, and one centimetre medial to the PSIS respectively. Proportion of women who have a caesarean section in labour.Randomisation: Permuted blocks stratified by research site.Blinding (masking):Double-blind trial in which participants, clinicians and research staff blinded to group assignment. Funded by the National Health and Medical Research CouncilTrial registration:Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (No ACTRN12611000221954). Sterile water injections, which may have a positive effect on reducing the CS rate, have been shown to be a safe and simple analgesic suitable for most maternity settings. A procedure that could reduce intervention rates without adversely affecting safety for mother and baby would benefit Australian families and taxpayers and would reduce requirements for maternal operating theatre time. Results will have external validity, as the technique may be easily applied to

  5. Effects of intracutaneous injections of sterile water in patients with acute low back pain: a randomized, controlled, clinical trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.Z. Cui

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Intracutaneous sterile water injection (ISWI is used for relief of low back pain during labor, acute attacks of urolithiasis, chronic neck and shoulder pain following whiplash injuries, and chronic myofascial pain syndrome. We conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the effect of ISWI for relief of acute low back pain (aLBP. A total of 68 patients (41 females and 27 males between 18 and 55 years old experiencing aLBP with moderate to severe pain (scores ≥5 on an 11-point visual analogue scale [VAS] were recruited and randomly assigned to receive either ISWIs (n=34 or intracutaneous isotonic saline injections (placebo treatment; n=34. The primary outcome was improvement in pain intensity using the VAS at 10, 45, and 90 min and 1 day after treatment. The secondary outcome was functional improvement, which was assessed using the Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS 1 day after treatment. The mean VAS score was significantly lower in the ISWI group than in the control group at 10, 45, and 90 min, and 1 day after injection (P<0.05, t-test. The mean increment in PSFS score of the ISWI group was 2.9±2.2 1 day after treatment, while that in the control group was 0.9±2.2. Our study showed that ISWI was effective for relieving pain and improving function in aLBP patients at short-term follow-up. ISWI might be an alternative treatment for aLBP patients, especially in areas where medications are not available, as well as in specific patients (e.g., those who are pregnant or have asthma, who are unable to receive medications or other forms of analgesia because of side effects.

  6. Diesel/CNG Mixture Autoignition Control Using Fuel Composition and Injection Gap

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Firmansyah

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Combustion phasing is the main obstacle to the development of controlled auto-ignition based (CAI engines to achieve low emissions and low fuel consumption operation. Fuel combinations with substantial differences in reactivity, such as diesel/compressed natural gas (CNG, show desirable combustion outputs and demonstrate great possibility in controlling the combustion. This paper discusses a control method for diesel/CNG mixture combustion with a variation of fuel composition and fuel stratification levels. The experiments were carried out in a constant volume combustion chamber with both fuels directly injected into the chamber. The mixture composition was varied from 0 to 100% CNG/diesel at lambda 1 while the fuel stratification level was controlled by the injection phasing between the two fuels, with gaps between injections ranging from 0 to 20 ms. The results demonstrated the suppressing effect of CNG on the diesel combustion, especially at the early combustion stages. However, CNG significantly enhanced the combustion performance of the diesel in the later stages. Injection gaps, on the other hand, showed particular behavior depending on mixture composition. Injection gaps show less effect on combustion phasing but a significant effect on the combustion output for higher diesel percentage (≥70%, while it is contradictive for lower diesel percentage (<70%.

  7. Intra-articular sodium hyaluronate 2 mL versus physiological saline 20 mL versus physiological saline 2 mL for painful knee osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundsgaard, C.; Dufour, N.; Fallentin, E.

    2008-01-01

    , Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) criteria, and global assessment of the patient's condition. Results: The mean age of the patients was 69.4 years; 55% were women. The effects of hyaluronate 2 mL, physiological saline 20 m......Objective: Methodological constraints weaken previous evidence on intra-articular viscosupplementation and physiological saline distention for osteoarthritis. We conducted a randomized, patient- and observer-blind trial to evaluate these interventions in patients with painful knee osteoarthritis....... Methods: We centrally randomized 251 patients with knee ostcoarthritis to four weekly intra-articular injections of sodium hyaluronate 2 mL (Hyalgan(R) 10.3 mg/mL) versus physiological saline 20 mL (distention) versus physiological saline 2 mL (placebo) and followed patients for 26 weeks. Inclusion...

  8. Botulinum toxin injections for low-back pain and sciatica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waseem, Zeeshan; Boulias, Chris; Gordon, Allan; Ismail, Farooq; Sheean, Geoffrey; Furlan, Andrea D

    2011-01-19

    Adequate relief from low-back pain (LBP) is not always possible. Emerging evidence suggests a role for botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) injections in treating pain disorders. Proponents of BoNT suggest its properties can decrease muscle spasms, ischemia and inflammatory markers, thereby reducing pain. To determine the effects of botulinum toxin injections in adults with LBP. We searched CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library 2009, issue 3) and MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL to August 2009; screened references from included studies; consulted with content experts and Allergan. We included published and unpublished randomised controlled trials without language restrictions We included randomised trials that evaluated BoNT serotypes versus other treatments in patients with non-specific LBP of any duration. Two review authors selected the studies, assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane Back Review Group criteria, and extracted the data using standardized forms. We performed a qualitative analysis due to lack of data. We excluded evidence from nineteen studies due to non-randomisation, incomplete or unpublished data. We included three randomised trials (N =123 patients). Only one study included patients with chronic non-specific LBP; the other two examined unique subpopulations. Only one of the three trials had a low risk of bias and demonstrated that BoNT injections reduced pain at three and eight weeks and improved function at eight weeks better than saline injections. The second trial showed that BoNT injections were better than injections of corticosteroid plus lidocaine or placebo in patients with sciatica attributed to piriformis syndrome. The third trial concluded that BoNT injections were better than traditional acupuncture in patients with third lumbar transverse process syndrome. Both studies with high risk of bias had several key limitations. Heterogeneity of the studies prevented meta-analysis. There is low quality evidence that BoNT injections improved pain, function

  9. High pressure common rail injection system modeling and control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, H P; Zheng, D; Tian, Y

    2016-07-01

    In this paper modeling and common-rail pressure control of high pressure common rail injection system (HPCRIS) is presented. The proposed mathematical model of high pressure common rail injection system which contains three sub-systems: high pressure pump sub-model, common rail sub-model and injector sub-model is a relative complicated nonlinear system. The mathematical model is validated by the software Matlab and a virtual detailed simulation environment. For the considered HPCRIS, an effective model free controller which is called Extended State Observer - based intelligent Proportional Integral (ESO-based iPI) controller is designed. And this proposed method is composed mainly of the referred ESO observer, and a time delay estimation based iPI controller. Finally, to demonstrate the performances of the proposed controller, the proposed ESO-based iPI controller is compared with a conventional PID controller and ADRC. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Geochemical processes controlling water salinization in an irrigated basin in Spain: identification of natural and anthropogenic influence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merchán, D; Auqué, L F; Acero, P; Gimeno, M J; Causapé, J

    2015-01-01

    Salinization of water bodies represents a significant risk in water systems. The salinization of waters in a small irrigated hydrological basin is studied herein through an integrated hydrogeochemical study including multivariate statistical analyses and geochemical modeling. The study zone has two well differentiated geologic materials: (i) Quaternary sediments of low salinity and high permeability and (ii) Tertiary sediments of high salinity and very low permeability. In this work, soil samples were collected and leaching experiments conducted on them in the laboratory. In addition, water samples were collected from precipitation, irrigation, groundwater, spring and surface waters. The waters show an increase in salinity from precipitation and irrigation water to ground- and, finally, surface water. The enrichment in salinity is related to the dissolution of soluble mineral present mainly in the Tertiary materials. Cation exchange, precipitation of calcite and, probably, incongruent dissolution of dolomite, have been inferred from the hydrochemical data set. Multivariate statistical analysis provided information about the structure of the data, differentiating the group of surface waters from the groundwaters and the salinization from the nitrate pollution processes. The available information was included in geochemical models in which hypothesis of consistency and thermodynamic feasibility were checked. The assessment of the collected information pointed to a natural control on salinization processes in the Lerma Basin with minimal influence of anthropogenic factors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Salinity tolerance of Picochlorum atomus and the use of salinity for contamination control by the freshwater cyanobacterium Pseudanabaena limnetica.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicolas von Alvensleben

    Full Text Available Microalgae are ideal candidates for waste-gas and -water remediation. However, salinity often varies between different sites. A cosmopolitan microalga with large salinity tolerance and consistent biochemical profiles would be ideal for standardised cultivation across various remediation sites. The aims of this study were to determine the effects of salinity on Picochlorum atomus growth, biomass productivity, nutrient uptake and biochemical profiles. To determine if target end-products could be manipulated, the effects of 4-day nutrient limitation were also determined. Culture salinity had no effect on growth, biomass productivity, phosphate, nitrate and total nitrogen uptake at 2, 8, 18, 28 and 36 ppt. 11 ppt, however, initiated a significantly higher total nitrogen uptake. While salinity had only minor effects on biochemical composition, nutrient depletion was a major driver for changes in biomass quality, leading to significant increases in total lipid, fatty acid and carbohydrate quantities. Fatty acid composition was also significantly affected by nutrient depletion, with an increased proportion of saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids. Having established that P. atomus is a euryhaline microalga, the effects of culture salinity on the development of the freshwater cyanobacterial contaminant Pseudanabaena limnetica were determined. Salinity at 28 and 36 ppt significantly inhibited establishment of P. limnetica in P. atomus cultures. In conclusion, P. atomus can be deployed for bioremediation at sites with highly variable salinities without effects on end-product potential. Nutrient status critically affected biochemical profiles--an important consideration for end-product development by microalgal industries. 28 and 36 ppt slow the establishment of the freshwater cyanobacterium P. limnetica, allowing for harvest of low contaminant containing biomass.

  12. Compressed air injection technique to standardize block injection pressures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsui, Ban C H; Li, Lisa X Y; Pillay, Jennifer J

    2006-11-01

    Presently, no standardized technique exists to monitor injection pressures during peripheral nerve blocks. Our objective was to determine if a compressed air injection technique, using an in vitro model based on Boyle's law and typical regional anesthesia equipment, could consistently maintain injection pressures below a 1293 mmHg level associated with clinically significant nerve injury. Injection pressures for 20 and 30 mL syringes with various needle sizes (18G, 20G, 21G, 22G, and 24G) were measured in a closed system. A set volume of air was aspirated into a saline-filled syringe and then compressed and maintained at various percentages while pressure was measured. The needle was inserted into the injection port of a pressure sensor, which had attached extension tubing with an injection plug clamped "off". Using linear regression with all data points, the pressure value and 99% confidence interval (CI) at 50% air compression was estimated. The linearity of Boyle's law was demonstrated with a high correlation, r = 0.99, and a slope of 0.984 (99% CI: 0.967-1.001). The net pressure generated at 50% compression was estimated as 744.8 mmHg, with the 99% CI between 729.6 and 760.0 mmHg. The various syringe/needle combinations had similar results. By creating and maintaining syringe air compression at 50% or less, injection pressures will be substantially below the 1293 mmHg threshold considered to be an associated risk factor for clinically significant nerve injury. This technique may allow simple, real-time and objective monitoring during local anesthetic injections while inherently reducing injection speed.

  13. Ultrasound guided injection of dexamethasone versus placebo for treatment of plantar fasciitis: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gilheany Mark F

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Plantar fasciitis is the most commonly reported cause of chronic pain beneath the heel. Management of this condition commonly involves the use of corticosteroid injection in cases where less invasive treatments have failed. However, despite widespread use, only two randomised trials have tested the effect of this treatment in comparison to placebo. These trials currently offer the best available evidence by which to guide clinical practice, though both were limited by methodological issues such as insufficient statistical power. Therefore, the aim of this randomised trial is to compare the effect of ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection versus placebo for treatment of plantar fasciitis. Methods The trial will be conducted at the La Trobe University Podiatry Clinic and will recruit 80 community-dwelling participants. Diagnostic ultrasound will be used to diagnose plantar fasciitis and participants will be required to meet a range of selection criteria. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of two treatment arms: (i ultrasound-guided injection of the plantar fascia with 1 mL of 4 mg/mL dexamethasone sodium phosphate (experimental group, or (ii ultrasound-guided injection of the plantar fascia with 1 mL normal saline (control group. Blinding will be applied to participants and the investigator performing procedures, measuring outcomes and analysing data. Primary outcomes will be pain measured by the Foot Health Status Questionnaire and plantar fascia thickness measured by ultrasound at 4, 8 and 12 weeks. All data analyses will be conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. Conclusion This will be a randomised trial investigating the effect of dexamethasone injection on pre-specified treatment outcomes in people with plantar fasciitis. Within the parameters of this protocol, the trial findings will be used to make evidence-based recommendations regarding the use of corticosteroid injection for treatment of this

  14. Voltage controlled nano-injection system for single-cell surgery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seger, R. Adam; Actis, Paolo; Penfold, Catherine; Maalouf, Michelle; Vilozny, Boaz; Pourmand, Nader

    2015-01-01

    Manipulation and analysis of single cells is the next frontier in understanding processes that control the function and fate of cells. Herein we describe a single-cell injection platform based on nanopipettes. The system uses scanning microscopy techniques to detect cell surfaces, and voltage pulses to deliver molecules into individual cells. As a proof of concept, we injected adherent mammalian cells with fluorescent dyes. PMID:22899383

  15. Precessional control of Sr ratios in marginal basins during the Messinian Salinity Crisis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Topper, R. P. M.; Lugli, S.; Manzi, V.; Roveri, M.; Meijer, P. Th.

    2014-05-01

    Based on 87Sr/86Sr data of the Primary Lower Gypsum (PLG) deposits in the Vena del Gesso basin—a marginal basin of the Mediterranean during the Messinian Salinity Crisis—a correlation between 87Sr/86Sr values and precessional forcing has recently been proposed but not yet confirmed. In this study, a box model is set up to represent the Miocene Mediterranean deep basin and a connected marginal basin. Measurements of 87Sr/86Sr in the Vena del Gesso and estimated salinity extrema are used to constrain model results. In an extensive analysis with this model, we assess whether coeval 87Sr/86Sr and salinity fluctuations could have been forced by precession-driven changes in the fresh water budget. A comprehensive set of the controlling parameters is examined to assess the conditions under which precession-driven 87Sr/86Sr variations occur and to determine the most likely setting for PLG formation. Model results show that precession-driven 87Sr/86Sr and salinity fluctuations in marginal basins are produced in settings within a large range of marginal basin sizes, riverine strontium characteristics, amplitudes of precessional fresh water budget variation, and average fresh water budgets of both the marginal and deep basin. PLG deposition most likely occurred when the Atlantic-Mediterranean connection was restricted, and the average fresh water budget in the Mediterranean was significantly less negative than at present day. Considering the large range of settings in which salinities and 87Sr/86Sr fluctuate on a precessional timescale, 87Sr/86Sr variations are expected to be a common feature in PLG deposits in marginal basins of the Mediterranean.

  16. [Effects of granisetron/lidocaine combination on propofol injection-induced pain: a double-blind randomized clinical trial].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Yu-shan; Lin, Xue-mei; Zhou, Jun

    2009-05-01

    To investigate the alleviation effect of vein pretreatment and granisetron/lidocaine combination on propofol injection-induced pain. Two hundreds patients scheduled for gynaecological laparoscopic operations were randomly divided into four groups: control group (group I), lidocaine group (group II), granisetron group (group III) and granisetron/lidocaine combination group (group IV), with 50 patients in each group. The patients in the above four groups received placebo (saline), lidocaine 20 mg, granisetron 2 mg and granisetron 2 mg plus lidocaine intravenously respectively. The patients were injected with one-forth of scheduled propofol via a dorsal hand vein after one minute of venous occlusion. The pain during the injection of propofol was evaluated. Pain occurred in 84% of patients in the control group, 46% in the lidocaine group, 52% in the granisetron group and 24% in the granisetron/lidocaine combination group. There was a significant reduction in pain incidence in the three experimental groups compared with the control group (Pgranisetron/lidocaine combination group than in the control group (Pgranisetron/lidocaine may be effective not only in attenuating pains during i.v. injection of propofol, but also in preventing postoperative nausea, vomiting and shivering.

  17. Saline-enhanced radiofrequency electrocoagulation in bovine liver

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shin, Hong Seop; Oh, Joo Hyeong; Yoon, Yup; Kim, Hyun Cheol; Ko, Young Tae; Choi, Woo Suk; Lim, Joo Won; Kim, Eui Jong [Kyunghee Univ. Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1997-08-01

    To determine the effectiveness of saline-enhanced radiofrequency electrocoagulation in bovine liver tissue Saline-enhanced radiofrequency electrocoagulation (group I), hot saline injection induced by radiofrequency electrocoagulation (group II), and radiofrequency electrocoagulation (group III) were performed in ex vivo bovine liver. Radiofrequency power was 100 and 200 watts, and current was applied for 10, 20, and 30 seconds. Tissue was histopathologically examined for thermal injury. The largest diameter of thermal injury was about 41.0 mm in group I, 12.3 mm in group II and 9.3 mm in group III. The mean diameter of the injury increased with higher wattage in group I and II and with longer procedure time in group I (p<0.05). At corresponding wattage and times, group I showed a larger diameter of thermal injury and more increase in than group II or III (p<0.05). The degree of carbonization was more severe in group III than in groups I and II. Grossly, thermal injury showed a well-defined, relatively spherical configuration without extension along parenchymal interstitium. In an animal model, saline-enhanced radiofrequency electrocoagulation may effectively induce thermal injury, and may thus be another effective tool for use in the treatment of hepatic tumors. Further clinical experience is needed.

  18. Saline-enhanced radiofrequency electrocoagulation in bovine liver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Hong Seop; Oh, Joo Hyeong; Yoon, Yup; Kim, Hyun Cheol; Ko, Young Tae; Choi, Woo Suk; Lim, Joo Won; Kim, Eui Jong

    1997-01-01

    To determine the effectiveness of saline-enhanced radiofrequency electrocoagulation in bovine liver tissue Saline-enhanced radiofrequency electrocoagulation (group I), hot saline injection induced by radiofrequency electrocoagulation (group II), and radiofrequency electrocoagulation (group III) were performed in ex vivo bovine liver. Radiofrequency power was 100 and 200 watts, and current was applied for 10, 20, and 30 seconds. Tissue was histopathologically examined for thermal injury. The largest diameter of thermal injury was about 41.0 mm in group I, 12.3 mm in group II and 9.3 mm in group III. The mean diameter of the injury increased with higher wattage in group I and II and with longer procedure time in group I (p<0.05). At corresponding wattage and times, group I showed a larger diameter of thermal injury and more increase in than group II or III (p<0.05). The degree of carbonization was more severe in group III than in groups I and II. Grossly, thermal injury showed a well-defined, relatively spherical configuration without extension along parenchymal interstitium. In an animal model, saline-enhanced radiofrequency electrocoagulation may effectively induce thermal injury, and may thus be another effective tool for use in the treatment of hepatic tumors. Further clinical experience is needed

  19. Effects of Soil Salinity on the Expression of Bt Toxin (Cry1Ac and the Control Efficiency of Helicoverpa armigera in Field-Grown Transgenic Bt Cotton.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun-Yu Luo

    Full Text Available An increasing area of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt cotton is being planted in saline-alkaline soil in China. The Bt protein level in transgenic cotton plants and its control efficiency can be affected by abiotic stress, including high temperature, water deficiency and other factors. However, how soil salinity affects the expression of Bt protein, thus influencing the control efficiency of Bt cotton against the cotton bollworm (CBW Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner in the field, is poorly understood. Our objective in the present study was to investigate the effects of soil salinity on the expression of Bt toxin (Cry1Ac and the control efficiency of Helicoverpa armigera in field-grown transgenic Bt cotton using three natural saline levels (1.15 dS m-1 [low soil-salinity], 6.00 dS m-1 [medium soil-salinity] and 11.46 dS m-1 [high soil-salinity]. We found that the Bt protein content in the transgenic Bt cotton leaves and the insecticidal activity of Bt cotton against CBW decreased with the increasing soil salinity in laboratory experiments during the growing season. The Bt protein content of Bt cotton leaves in the laboratory were negatively correlated with the salinity level. The CBW populations were highest on the Bt cotton grown in medium-salinity soil instead of the high-salinity soil in field conditions. A possible mechanism may be that the relatively high-salinity soil changed the plant nutritional quality or other plant defensive traits. The results from this study may help to identify more appropriate practices to control CBW in Bt cotton fields with different soil salinity levels.

  20. Improved identification of the palmar fibrocartilage of the navicular bone with saline magnetic resonance bursography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schramme, Michael; Kerekes, Zoltan; Hunter, Stuart; Nagy, Krisztina; Pease, Anthony

    2009-01-01

    Fibrocartilage degeneration is the earliest pathologic finding in navicular disease but remains difficult to detect, even with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. We hypothesized that injection of the navicular bursa with saline would improve accuracy of MR imaging evaluation of palmar fibrocartilage. Thoracic limbs were collected from 11 horses within 6 h of death. Imaging was performed with a 1.5 T magnet using sagittal 2D proton density and transverse 3D FLASH sequences with fat saturation. For the purpose of determining sensitivity and specificity of the MR images, fibrocartilage was classified as normal or abnormal, based on combination of the findings of gross and microscopic pathology. Thickness of fibrocartilage was measured on histologic sections and corresponding transverse FLASH MR images before and after injection of saline. A paired Student's t-test was used for comparison of measurements. Partial thickness fibrocartilage loss was present in 6 of 22 limbs. Sensitivity of precontrast MR images for detection of lesions was 100% while specificity was 6%. Saline MR arthrography resulted in both sensitivity and specificity of 100% based on consensus review. Mean histologic fibrocartilage thickness was 0.75 +/- 0.12 mm. Mean fibrocartilage thickness on precontrast transverse FLASH images was 0.93 +/- 0.065 and 0.73 +/- 0.09 mm on postsaline images. The histologic cartilage thickness was signficantly different from that in precontrast images (Pfibrocartilage can only be evaluated reliably for the presence of partial thickness lesions after intrabursal injection of saline.

  1. Can combined use of low-level lasers and hyaluronic acid injections prolong the longevity of degenerative knee joints?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ip, David; Fu, Nga Yue

    2015-01-01

    This study evaluated whether half-yearly hyaluronic acid injection together with low-level laser therapy in addition to standard conventional physical therapy can successfully postpone the need for joint replacement surgery in elderly patients with bilateral symptomatic tricompartmental knee arthritis. In this prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 70 consecutive unselected elderly patients with bilateral tricompartmental knee arthritis were assigned at random to either one of two conservative treatment protocols to either one of the painful knees. Protocol A consisted of conventional physical therapy plus a sham light source plus saline injection, and protocol B consisted of protocol A with addition of half-yearly hyaluronic acid injection as well as low-level laser treatment instead of using saline and a sham light source. Treatment failure was defined as breakthrough pain necessitating joint replacement. Among the 140 painful knees treated with either protocol A or protocol B, only one of the 70 painful knees treated by protocol B required joint replacement, whereas 15 of the 70 painful knees treated by protocol A needed joint replacement surgery (Phyaluronic acid injections together with low-level laser therapy should be incorporated into the standard conservative treatment protocol for symptomatic knee arthritis, because it may prolong the longevity of the knee joint without the need for joint replacement.

  2. Impact of soil salinity on the plant-growth – promoting and biological control abilities of root associated bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dilfuza Egamberdieva

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The effectiveness of plant growth – promoting bacteria is variable under different biotic and abiotic conditions. Abiotic factors may negatively affect the beneficial properties and efficiency of the introduced PGPR inoculants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of plant growth – promoting rhizobacteria on plant growth and on the control of foot and root rot of tomatoes caused by Fusarium solani under different soil salinity conditions. Among the five tested strains, only Pseudomonas chlororaphis TSAU13, and Pseudomonas extremorientalis TSAU20 were able to stimulate plant growth and act as biological controls of foot and root rot disease of tomato. The soil salinity did not negatively affect the beneficial impacts of these strains, as they were able to colonize and survive on the roots of tomato plants under both saline and non-saline soil conditions. The improved plant height and fruit yield of tomato was also observed for plants inoculated with P. extremorientalis TSAU20. Our results indicated that, saline condition is not crucial factor in obtaining good performance with respect to the plant growth stimulating and biocontrol abilities of PGPR strains. The bacterial inoculant also enhanced antioxidant enzymes activities thereby preventing ROS induced oxidative damage in plants, and the proline concentrations in plant tissue that play an important role in plant stress tolerance.

  3. Cylinder Pressure-based Combustion Control with Multi-pulse Fuel Injection

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Luo, X.; Wang, S.; Jager, B. de; Willems, F.P.T.

    2015-01-01

    With an increased number of fuel injection pulses, the control problem in diesel engines becomes complex. Consisting of multiple single-input single-output (SISO) controllers, the conventional control strategy shows unsatisfactory dynamic performance in tracking combustion load and phase reference

  4. Intramuscular versus ultrasound-guided intratenosynovial glucocorticoid injection for tenosynovitis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ammitzbøll-Danielsen, Mads; Østergaard, Mikkel; Fana, Viktoria

    2017-01-01

    and tenosynovitis were randomised into two double-blind groups: (A) 'intramuscular group', receiving intramuscular injection of betamethasone and US-guided intratenosynovial isotonic saline injection and (B) 'intratenosynovial group' receiving saline intramuscularly and US-guided intratenosynovial betamethasone......% (2/24) versus 44% (11/25), that is, difference of ?36pp (?58pp to ?13pp), p=0.003. Most US, clinical and patient-reported scores improved more in the 'intratenosynovial group' at all follow-up visits. Conclusions In this randomised double-blind clinical trial, patients with RA and tenosynovitis...

  5. Numerical Study of Groundwater Flow and Salinity Distribution Cycling Controlled by Seawater/Freshwater Interaction in Karst Aquifer Using SEAWAT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Z.; Hu, B.

    2017-12-01

    The interest to predict seawater intrusion and salinity distribution in Woodville Karst Plain (WKP) has increased due to the huge challenge on quality of drinkable water and serious environmental problems. Seawater intrudes into the conduit system from submarine karst caves at Spring Creek Spring due to density difference and sea level rising, nowadays the low salinity has been detected at Wakulla Spring which is 18 km from coastal line. The groundwater discharge at two major springs and salinity distribution in this area is controlled by the seawater/freshwater interaction under different rainfall conditions: during low rainfall periods, seawater flow into the submarine spring through karst windows, then the salinity rising at the submarine spring leads to seawater further intrudes into conduit system; during high rainfall periods, seawater is pushed out by fresh water discharge at submarine spring. The previous numerical studies of WKP mainly focused on the density independent transport modeling and seawater/freshwater discharge at major karst springs, in this study, a SEAWAT model has been developed to fully investigate the salinity distribution in the WKP under repeating phases of low rainfall and high rainfall periods, the conduit system was simulated as porous media with high conductivity and porosity. The precipitation, salinity and discharge at springs were used to calibrate the model. The results showed that the salinity distribution in porous media and conduit system is controlled by the rainfall change, in general, the salinity distribution inland under low rainfall conditions is much higher and wider than the high rainfall conditions. The results propose a prediction on the environmental problem caused by seawater intrusion in karst coastal aquifer, in addition, provide a visual and scientific basis for future groundwater remediation.

  6. Saline agriculture: A technology for economic utilization and improvement of saline environments (abstract)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aslam, Z.; Malik, K.A.; Khurshid, S.J.; Awan, A.R.; Akram, M.; Hashmi, Z.; Ali, Y.; Gulnaz, A.; Hussain, M.; Hussain, F.

    2005-01-01

    The salinity problem is one of the severe constraints for agriculture in Pakistan. In a socio-economic and salinity and drainage survey over an area of about 25000 acres of salt-affected land recently, crop production is found to be very low. Livestock is underfed and malnourished. Pakistan has spent and allocated over one billion US dollars on Salinity Control and Reclamation Projects (SCARP), of course, with dubious results. Over the years, a Saline Agriculture Technology has been developed as a cheap alternative at NIAB for comfortably living with salinity and to profitably utilize saline land rather than its reclamation. The soil improvement is a fringe benefit in this approach. The Saline Agriculture Technology has been tested at laboratory level, at field stations and at farms of some progressive farmers. Now we are sharing this technology with farming communities through a 'Saline Agriculture Farmer Participatory Development Project in Pakistan', with assistance from the National Rural Support Programme. The new project has been launched simultaneously in all four provinces of Pakistan on 25000 acres of salt-affected land. Under this project seeds of salt tolerant crop varieties wheat, cotton, rice, castor, brassica and barley and saplings of trees/shrubs, e.g. Acacia ampliceps, A. nilotica, Casuarina glauca, ber, jaman, etc selected for development work in various institutions of Pakistan are being provided to farmers. Know-how on new irrigation techniques like bed-and-corrugation and bed-and-furrow, agronomic practices like laser land leveling, planting on beds and in auger holes and soil/water amendment practices (use of gypsum and mineral acids) are being shared with farmers. These interventions are quite efficient, save water up to 40% and enable farmers to utilize bad quality water. In general, farmers are being familiarized with prevalent animal diseases, nutritional problems and prophylactic techniques. They are being helped in developing Saline

  7. Usefulness of normal saline for sealing the needle track after CT-guided lung biopsy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Y.; Du, Y.; Luo, T.Y.; Yang, H.F.; Yu, J.H.; Xu, X.X.; Zheng, H.J.; Li, B.

    2015-01-01

    Aim: To determine whether the use of normal saline for sealing the needle track can reduce the incidence of pneumothorax and chest tube placement after computed tomography (CT)-guided lung biopsy. Materials and methods: A prospective, randomised, controlled trial enrolling 322 patients was conducted. All patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: those in whom the needle track was not sealed with normal saline (n=161, Group A) and those who did receive normal saline (n=161, Group B). CT-guided biopsy was performed with coaxial technique. Normal saline, which ranged from 1–3 ml, was injected while the trocar needle was being withdrawn. Patient characteristics, lesion, and procedure variables were analysed as potential risk variables for occurrence of pneumothorax and chest tube placement. Results: The incidence of pneumothorax was 26.1% in Group A and 6.2% in Group B (p<0.001). Nine patients in Group A and one patient in Group B required chest tube placement (p=0.010). Using multiple logistic regression analysis, smaller lesion size, greater needle–pleural angle, longer lesion–pleural distance, presence of emphysema, and no sealing the needle track with normal saline were significantly associated with an increased risk of pneumothorax, and that the latter three factors were also associated with an increased risk of pneumothorax requiring chest tube placement. Conlusion: Normal saline for sealing the needle track significantly reduces the incidence of pneumothorax and prevents subsequent chest tube placement after CT-guided lung biopsy. - Highlights: • Normal saline is an effective sealant for use in lung biopsy. • This technique reduced the incidence of pneumothorax and chest tube placement. • This technique should be recommended for CT-guided lung biopsy.

  8. Enhanced Control for Local Helicity Injection on the Pegasus ST

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierren, C.; Bongard, M. W.; Fonck, R. J.; Lewicki, B. T.; Perry, J. M.

    2017-10-01

    Local helicity injection (LHI) experiments on Pegasus rely upon programmable control of a 250 MVA modular power supply system that drives the electromagnets and helicity injection systems. Precise control of the central solenoid is critical to experimental campaigns that test the LHI Taylor relaxation limit and the coupling efficiency of LHI-produced plasmas to Ohmic current drive. Enhancement and expansion of the present control system is underway using field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology for digital logic and control, coupled to new 10 MHz optical-to-digital transceivers for semiconductor level device communication. The system accepts optical command signals from existing analog feedback controllers, transmits them to multiple devices in parallel H-bridges, and aggregates their status signals for fault detection. Present device-level multiplexing/de-multiplexing and protection logic is extended to include bridge-level protections with the FPGA. An input command filter protects against erroneous and/or spurious noise generated commands that could otherwise cause device failures. Fault registration and response times with the FPGA system are 25 ns. Initial system testing indicates an increased immunity to power supply induced noise, enabling plasma operations at higher working capacitor bank voltage. This can increase the applied helicity injection drive voltage, enable longer pulse lengths and improve Ohmic loop voltage control. Work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

  9. Salinity management in southern Italy irrigation areas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Massimo Monteleone

    Full Text Available After a synthetic review of the most worrisome pressures applied over soils and waters, general criterions and normative principles that have to lead the technical intervention on soil and water protection are accounted, both with respect to farm activity and land planning. The salinity problem is faced, then, through the analysis of the nature and origin of saline soil and of the complex quantitative relationships able to interpret the accumulation and leaching of soil salts. Having specified the theoretical bases of salinity, the related technical features are then considered in order to define a proper management of soil and waters. Particular relevance is assigned to the irrigation and leaching techniques as well as, more briefly, to other agronomic interventions in order to guarantee the most effective salinity control. Another relevant technical facet of salinity control, although quite often neglected or retained of secondary importance in comparison to irrigation, is the drainage and disposal of leached water. The increased sensibility on the environmental impacts that the disposal of these waters can produce has raised today the level of attention on these procedures that are disciplined by norms of law and, therefore, require appropriate techniques of intervention. Finally, after the different scale orders involved in the management of salinity are defined (from the field and farm level up to the land and basin, the fundamental elements in order to work out a risk analysis and an action program are illustrated; some indications about the most up to date salinity monitoring and mapping methods are also provided, considering their great importance to continuously check the possible broadening of salinization and to carefully maintain its control.

  10. Method of controlling injection of oxygen into hydrogen-rich fuel cell feed stream

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meltser, Mark Alexander; Gutowski, Stanley; Weisbrod, Kirk

    2001-01-01

    A method of operating a H.sub.2 --O.sub.2 fuel cell fueled by hydrogen-rich fuel stream containing CO. The CO content is reduced to acceptable levels by injecting oxygen into the fuel gas stream. The amount of oxygen injected is controlled in relation to the CO content of the fuel gas, by a control strategy that involves (a) determining the CO content of the fuel stream at a first injection rate, (b) increasing the O.sub.2 injection rate, (c) determining the CO content of the stream at the higher injection rate, (d) further increasing the O.sub.2 injection rate if the second measured CO content is lower than the first measured CO content or reducing the O.sub.2 injection rate if the second measured CO content is greater than the first measured CO content, and (e) repeating steps a-d as needed to optimize CO consumption and minimize H.sub.2 consumption.

  11. Simulating the Response of Estuarine Salinity to Natural and Anthropogenic Controls

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimir A. Paramygin

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The response of salinity in Apalachicola Bay, Florida to changes in water management alternatives and storm and sea level rise is studied using an integrated high-resolution hydrodynamic modeling system based on Curvilinear-grid Hydrodynamics in 3D (CH3D, an oyster population model, and probability analysis. The model uses input from river inflow, ocean and atmospheric forcing and is verified with long-term water level and salinity data, including data from the 2004 hurricane season when four hurricanes impacted the system. Strong freshwater flow from the Apalachicola River and good connectivity of the bay to the ocean allow the estuary to restore normal salinity conditions within a few days after the passage of a hurricane. Various scenarios are analyzed; some based on observed data and others using altered freshwater inflow. For observed flow, simulated salinity agrees well with the observed values. In scenarios that reflect increased water demand (~1% upstream of the Apalachicola River, the model results show slightly (less than 5% increased salinity inside the Bay. A worst-case sea-level rise (~1 m by 2100 could increase the bay salinity by up to 20%. A hypothesis that a Sumatra gauge may not fully represent the flow into Apalachicola Bay was tested and appears to be substantiated.

  12. Tachycardia in response to remote capsaicin injection as a model for nociception in the ball python (Python regius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Catherine J A; James, Lauren E; Bertelsen, Mads F; Wang, Tobias

    2016-07-01

    To quantify the effect of subcutaneous (SC) capsaicin injection on heart rate (HR) in ball pythons (Python regius) and to assess the efficacy of two opioids (morphine and butorphanol) in modifying this response. Prospective, randomized, unmatched study. Eleven mixed-sex, captive-bred ball pythons. Snakes were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 6) by intramuscular premedication: 1) control: saline (0.9 mL); 2) morphine (10 mg kg(-1) ); and 3) butorphanol (10 mg kg(-1) ). Three snakes were tested twice and another two were tested three times in different treatments administered 1 month apart. Under isoflurane anaesthesia, snakes were instrumented with SC electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes and an SC catheter for remote stimulus delivery. After recovery from anaesthesia, all snakes, in visual and audial isolation from the experimenter, received a sham stimulus of saline (0.4 mL) via the SC catheter. A nociceptive stimulus of SC capsaicin (3 mg in 0.2 mL saline with 7% Tween 80) was then applied by catheter at 7 hours after premedication. In a subset (n = 3), two sham injections (saline 0.2 mL) preceded the capsaicin treatment. HR was recorded via ECG, and changes in HR (ΔHR) from baseline were calculated for all stimulations. Capsaicin injection was associated with a significant increase in HR [peak ΔHR: saline group: 8.8 ± 7.1 beats minute(-1) ; capsaicin group: 21.1 ± 5.8 beats minute(-1) (p = 0.0055)] and integrated ΔHR as a function of time. The administration of morphine or butorphanol 7 hours prior to nociception failed to significantly reduce the peak and integrated ΔHR. Butorphanol caused marked, long-lasting sedation as assessed by muscle tone. The HR response to an SC capsaicin injection can serve as a nociceptive model in P. regius. Morphine and butorphanol administration did not reduce HR response to capsaicin stimulation but produced significantly different effects on pre-stimulation HR and sedation. © 2015 Association

  13. Safety and efficacy of US-approved viscosupplements for knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, saline-controlled trials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Str

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Vibeke Strand,1 Louis F McIntyre,2 William R Beach,3 Larry E Miller,4,5 Jon E Block5 1Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA; 2New York University Medical Center, White Plains, NY, USA; 3Tuckahoe Orthopaedics, Richmond, VA, USA; 4Miller Scientific Consulting, Inc., Asheville, NC, USA; 5The Jon Block Group, San Francisco, CA, USA Background: Intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid is a common, yet controversial, therapeutic option for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA. The purpose of this research was to determine the safety and efficacy of US-approved viscosupplements for symptomatic knee OA. Methods: We searched MedLine and EMBase for randomized, sham-controlled trials evaluating safety and/or clinical efficacy of US-approved viscosupplements in patients with symptomatic knee OA. Knee pain severity and knee joint function were assessed at 4 to 13 weeks and 14 to 26 weeks. Safety outcomes included serious adverse events, treatment-related serious adverse events, patient withdrawal, and adverse event-related patient withdrawal occurring at any time during follow-up. Results: A total of 29 studies representing 4,866 unique patients (active: 2,673, control: 2,193 were included. All sham-controlled trials used saline injections as a control. Viscosupplementation resulted in very large treatment effects between 4 and 26 weeks for knee pain and function compared to preinjection values, with standardized mean difference values ranging from 1.07 to 1.37 (all P<0.001. Compared to controls, standardized mean difference with viscosupplementation ranged from 0.38 to 0.43 for knee pain and 0.32 to 0.34 for knee function (all P<0.001. There were no statistically significant differences between viscosupplementation and controls for any safety outcome, with absolute risk differences of 0.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: –0.2 to 1.5% for serious adverse events, 0% (95% CI: –0.4 to 0.4% for treatment-related serious adverse

  14. Chinese herbal formula Tongluo Jiunao injection protects against cerebral ischemia by activating neurotrophin 3/tropomyosin-related kinase C pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peiman Alesheikh

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The Chinese herbal formula Tongluo Jiunao, containing the active components Panax notoginseng and Gardenia jasminoides, has recently been patented and is in use clinically. It is known to be neuroprotective in cerebral ischemia, but the underlying pathway remains poorly understood. In the present study, we established a rat model of cerebral ischemia by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, and administered Tongluo Jiunao, a positive control (Xuesai Tong, containing Panax notoginseng or saline intraperitoneally to investigate the pathway involved in the action of Tongluo Jiunao injection. 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC staining showed that the cerebral infarct area was significantly smaller in model rats that received Tongluo Jiunao than in those that received saline. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed significantly greater expression of neurotrophin 3 and growth-associated protein 43 in ischemic cerebral tissue, and serum levels of neurotrophin 3, in the Tongluo Jiunao group than in the saline group. The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical staining showed that after treatment with Tongluo Jiunao or Xuesai Tong, tropomyosin-related kinase C gene expression and immunoreactivity were significantly elevated compared with saline, with the greatest expression observed after Tongluo Jiunao treatment. These findings suggest that Tongluo Jiunao injection exerts a neuroprotective effect in rats with cerebral ischemia by activating the neurotrophin 3/tropomyosin-related kinase C pathway.

  15. FURNACE INJECTION OF ALKALINE SORBENTS FOR SULFURIC ACID CONTROL; SEMIANNUAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gary M. Blythe

    2002-01-01

    This document summarizes progress on Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-99FT40718, Furnace Injection of Alkaline Sorbents for Sulfuric Acid Control, during the time period October 1, 2001 through March 31, 2002. The objective of this project is to demonstrate the use of alkaline reagents injected into the furnace of coal-fired boilers as a means of controlling sulfuric acid emissions. The coincident removal of hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid is also being determined, as is the removal of arsenic, a known poison for NO(sub X) selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts. EPRI, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), FirstEnergy Corporation, American Electric Power (AEP) and the Dravo Lime Company are project co-funders. URS Corporation is the prime contractor. This is the fifth reporting period for the subject Cooperative Agreement. During the previous (fourth) period, two long-term sorbent injection tests were conducted, one on Unit 3 at FirstEnergy's Bruce Mansfield Plant (BMP) and one on Unit 1 at AEP's Gavin Plant. Those tests determined the effectiveness of injecting alkaline slurries into the upper furnace of the boiler as a means of controlling sulfuric acid emissions from these units. The alkaline slurries tested included commercially available magnesium hydroxide slurry (Gavin Plant) and a byproduct magnesium hydroxide slurry (at both Gavin and BMP). The tests showed that injecting either the commercial or the byproduct magnesium hydroxide slurry could achieve up to 70-75% overall sulfuric acid removal. At BMP, the overall removal was limited by the need to maintain acceptable electrostatic precipitator (ESP) particulate control performance. At Gavin Plant, the overall sulfuric acid removal was limited because the furnace injected sorbent was less effective at removing SO(sub 3) formed across the SCR system installed on the unit for NO(sub X) control than at removing SO(sub 3) formed in the furnace. The SO(sub 3) removal results were presented in the

  16. A control-oriented approach to estimate the injected fuel mass on the basis of the measured in-cylinder pressure in multiple injection diesel engines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Finesso, Roberto; Spessa, Ezio

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Control-oriented method to estimate injected quantities from in-cylinder pressure. • Able to calculate the injected quantities for multiple injection strategies. • Based on the inversion of a heat-release predictive model. • Low computational time demanding. - Abstract: A new control-oriented methodology has been developed to estimate the injected fuel quantities, in real-time, in multiple injection DI diesel engines on the basis of the measured in-cylinder pressure. The method is based on the inversion of a predictive combustion model that was previously developed by the authors, and that is capable of estimating the heat release rate and the in-cylinder pressure on the basis of the injection rate. The model equations have been rewritten in order to derive the injected mass as an output quantity, starting from use of the measured in-cylinder pressure as input. It has been verified that the proposed method is capable of estimating the injected mass of pilot pulses with an uncertainty of the order of ±0.15 mg/cyc, and the total injected mass with an uncertainty of the order of ±0.9 mg/cyc. The main sources of uncertainty are related to the estimation of the in-cylinder heat transfer and of the isentropic coefficient γ = c_p/c_v. The estimation of the actual injected quantities in the combustion chamber can represent a powerful means to diagnose the behavior of the injectors during engine operation, and offers the possibility of monitoring effects, such as injector ageing and injector coking, as well as of allowing an accurate control of the pilot injected quantities to be obtained; the latter are in fact usually characterized by a large dispersion, with negative consequences on the combustion quality and emission formation. The approach is characterized by a very low computational time, and is therefore suitable for control-oriented applications.

  17. The control system for SSRF injection and extraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuan Qibing; Gu Ming; Wang Ruiping; Cheng Zhihao; Fan Xuerong; Zhu Haijun

    2007-01-01

    This paper introduces the injection and extraction control system design for SSRF, which is a distributed control system aimed at stability and reliability of the pulse power supplies, PPS (Personnel Protection System) and MPS (Machine Protection System). The hardware environment is mainly based on PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), and ARM (Advanced RISC Machine) is also applied for studying stability of the power supplies. WinCC and EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System) have been selected as the platforms of SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition). For unifying the interfacing to the control computer, all front-end equipments are connected via Industrial Ethernet. (authors)

  18. Global Sensitivity Analysis to Assess Salt Precipitation for CO2 Geological Storage in Deep Saline Aquifers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuan Wang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Salt precipitation is generated near the injection well when dry supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2 is injected into saline aquifers, and it can seriously impair the CO2 injectivity of the well. We used solid saturation (Ss to map CO2 injectivity. Ss was used as the response variable for the sensitivity analysis, and the input variables included the CO2 injection rate (QCO2, salinity of the aquifer (XNaCl, empirical parameter m, air entry pressure (P0, maximum capillary pressure (Pmax, and liquid residual saturation (Splr and Sclr. Global sensitivity analysis methods, namely, the Morris method and Sobol method, were used. A significant increase in Ss was observed near the injection well, and the results of the two methods were similar: XNaCl had the greatest effect on Ss; the effect of P0 and Pmax on Ss was negligible. On the other hand, with these two methods, QCO2 had various effects on Ss: QCO2 had a large effect on Ss in the Morris method, but it had little effect on Ss in the Sobol method. We also found that a low QCO2 had a profound effect on Ss but that a high QCO2 had almost no effect on the Ss value.

  19. Pain control in laparoscopic gynecologic surgery with/without preoperative (preemptive) parecoxib sodium injection: a randomized study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratchanon, Sarwinee; Phaloprakarn, Chadakarn; Traipak, Khanitta

    2011-10-01

    To determine the effectiveness of preoperative parecoxib sodium injection for pain relief after laparoscopic gynecologic surgery. A prospective double-blind, randomized study was conducted in 268 patients who underwent laparoscopic gynecologic surgery at Vajira Hospital between November 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011. The patients were randomly allocated into two groups to receive either single intravenous 40 mg parecoxib (treatment group; n = 133) or normal saline (control group; n = 135) 30 min before surgery. The degree of postoperative pain was assessed every 2 h in the first 8 h postoperation, then every 4 h until completion of 24 h by using a verbal rating scale. Total consumption of meperidine over a 24-h period and the adverse events relevant to parecoxib sodium were also recorded. Mean pain scores at all measured times in the treatment group were insignificantly lower than those in the control group (p = 0.106). The mean 24-h postoperative meperidine consumption in the treatment group was significantly lower compared to that in the control group (26.3 +/- 28.1 mg and 39.1 +/- 34.6 mg, respectively, p = 0.001). The proportion of patients requiring meperidine in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group (58.6% and 70.3%, respectively, p = 0. 045). No serious adverse events were observed in both groups. Preoperative parecoxib sodium significantly reduced postoperative meperidine requirement and consumption, while insignificantly declined the pain scores. Serious adverse events were not encountered

  20. Influence of circulating epinephrine on absorption of subcutaneously injected insulin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernqvist, E.; Gunnarsson, R.; Linde, B.

    1988-01-01

    Effects of epinephrine (Epi) infusion on the absorption of subcutaneously injected 125I-labeled soluble human insulin (10 U) from the thigh or the abdomen were studied in 16 healthy subjects and from the thigh in 10 insulin-dependent diabetic (IDDM) patients. Epi was infused at 0.3 (high dose) or 0.1 (low dose; healthy subjects) nmol.kg-1.min-1 i.v., resulting in arterial plasma Epi levels of approximately 6 and 2 nM, respectively. Saline was infused on a control day. Insulin absorption was measured as disappearance of radioactivity from the injection site and as appearance of plasma immunoreactive insulin (IRI). Adipose tissue blood flow was measured with the 133Xe clearance technique. First-order disappearance rate constants of 125I from the thigh depot decreased approximately 40-50% during the high dose of Epi compared with control (P less than .001). The corresponding decrease from the abdominal depot was approximately 40% (P less than .001), whereas no significant change was found during the low Epi dose. IRI fell compared with control in all groups at the high Epi dose. The Epi-induced depression of insulin absorption occurred despite unaltered or even slightly increased subcutaneous blood flow. The results indicate that circulating Epi at levels seen during moderate physical stress depresses the absorption of soluble insulin from subcutaneous injection sites to an extent that might be important for glycemic control in IDDM patients. Furthermore, dissociation is found between changes in insulin absorption and subcutaneous blood flow during Epi infusion, suggesting that factors other than blood flow may also influence the absorption of subcutaneously injected insulin

  1. [Effect of rocuronium administration rate and remifentanil on prevention of rocuronium injection pain in pediatric cases].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Şimşek Ülkü, Hatice; Güneş, Yasemin; Ilgınel, Murat; Biricik, Ebru; Karacaer, Feride

    2017-10-01

    In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of remifentanil administration prior to slow and fast rocuronium infusion on hemodynamic changes and rocuronium injection pain in pediatric patients. In total, 120 5-15-year-old ASA score I/II pediatric patients were included in the study. Group A: slow rocuronium injection-saline; group B: slow rocuronium injection (0.6 mg/kg IV)-remifentanyl; group C: fast rocuronium injection-saline; and group D: fast rocuronium injection-remifentanyl. Withdrawal movement after rocuronium injection was recorded based on a 3-point response to withdrawal score. Hemodynamic parameters were recorded. One minute after rocuronium injection, HR values were found to be lower in remifentanil groups (p: 0.0001; 101.4±22.1, p: 0.003; 99.8±18.3 in group B and D, respectively) compared with those in placebo groups (p: 0.025; 107.4±21.7, p: 0.012; 114.0±16.4 in group A and C, respectively). With respect to the response to withdrawal scores, unresponsiveness rates were the highest in group B (66.7%) and group D (70%). The number of non-responder patients was 9 in saline-administered groups (group A and C), whereas it was 20 and 21 in remifentanil-administered groups (group B and D, respectively). Generalized responses were observed predominantly in groups A (20%) and C (20%). Generalized responses were highest in groups A (20%, n=6) and C (20%, n=6). There was no impact of infusion speed on rocuronium injection pain in pediatric cases, whereas it is concluded that remifentanil administration prior to rocuronium injection considerably reduced rocuronium injection pain regardless of injection speed and without serious hemodynamic changes.

  2. Thermographic visualization of the superficial vein and extravasation using the temperature gradient produced by the injected materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamura, Katsumasa; Sasaki, Tomonari; Ohga, Saiji; Yoshitake, Tadamasa; Terashima, Kotaro; Asai, Kaori; Matsumoto, Keiji; Shinoto, Makoto; Shioyama, Yoshiyuki; Nishie, Akihoro; Honda, Hiroshi

    2014-11-01

    There are few effective methods to detect or prevent the extravasation of injected materials such as chemotherapeutic agents and radiographic contrast materials. To investigate whether a thermographic camera could visualize the superficial vein and extravasation using the temperature gradient produced by the injected materials, an infrared thermographic camera with a high resolution of 0.04 °C was used. At the room temperature of 26 °C, thermal images and the time course of the temperature changes of a paraffin phantom embedded with rubber tubes (diameter 3.2 mm, wall thickness 0.8 mm) were evaluated after the tubes were filled with water at 15 °C or 25 °C. The rubber tubes were embedded at depths of 0 mm, 1.5 mm, and 3.0 mm from the surface of the phantom. Temperature changes were visualized in the areas of the phantom where the tubes were embedded. In general, changes were more clearly detected when greater temperature differences between the phantom and the water and shallower tube locations were employed. The temperature changes of the surface of a volunteer's arm were also examined after a bolus injection of physiological saline into the dorsal hand vein or the subcutaneous space. The injection of 5 ml room-temperature (26 °C) saline into the dorsal hand vein enabled the visualization of the vein. When 3 ml of room-temperature saline was injected through the vein into the subcutaneous space, extravasation was detected without any visualization of the vein. The subtraction image before and after the injection clearly showed the temperature changes induced by the saline. Thermography may thus be useful as a monitoring system to detect extravasation of the injected materials.

  3. Control of Citrus Huanglongbing via Trunk Injection of Plant Defense Activators and Antibiotics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, J; Jiang, J; Wang, N

    2018-02-01

    Citrus huanglongbing (HLB) or greening is a devastating disease of citrus worldwide and no effective control measure is currently available. Plant defense activators environmentally friendly compounds capable of inducing resistance against many plant pathogens. Earlier studies showed that foliar spray of plant defense inducers could slow down HLB disease progress. In this study, eight plant defense activators and three antibiotics were evaluated in three field trials for their effect to control HLB by trunk injection of young and mature sweet orange trees. Results showed that four trunk injections of several activators, including salicylic acid, oxalic acid, acibenzolar-S-methyl, and potassium phosphate, provided significant control of HLB by suppressing 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' titer and disease progress. Trunk injection of penicillin, streptomycin, and oxytetracycline hydrochloride resulted in excellent control of HLB. In general, antibiotics were more effective in reduction of 'Ca. L. asiaticus' titer and HLB symptom expressions than plant defense activators. These treatments also resulted in increased yield and better fruit quality. Injection of both salicylic acid and acibenzolar-S-methyl led to significant induction of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes PR-1 and PR-2 genes. Meanwhile, injection of either potassium phosphate or oxalic acid resulted in significant induction of PR-2 or PR-15 gene expression, respectively. These results suggested that HLB diseased trees remained inducible for systemic acquired resistance under field conditions. In summary, this study presents information regarding controlling HLB via trunk injection of plant defense activators and antibiotics, which helps citrus growers in decision making regarding developing an effective HLB management program.

  4. Survey of Botulinum Toxin Injections in Anticoagulated Patients: Korean Physiatrists' Preference in Controlling Anticoagulation Profile Prior to Intramuscular Injection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Yongjun; Park, Geun-Young; Park, Jihye; Choi, Asayeon; Kim, Soo Yeon; Boulias, Chris; Phadke, Chetan P; Ismail, Farooq; Im, Sun

    2016-04-01

    To evaluate Korean physiatrists' practice of performing intramuscular botulinum toxin injection in anticoagulated patients and to assess their preference in controlling the bleeding risk before injection. As part of an international collaboration survey study, a questionnaire survey was administered to 100 Korean physiatrists. Physiatrists were asked about their level of experience with botulinum toxin injection, the safe international normalized ratio range in anticoagulated patients undergoing injection, their tendency for injecting into deep muscles, and their experience of bleeding complications. International normalized ratio injection by 41% of the respondents. Thirty-six respondents replied that the international normalized ratio should be lowered to sub-therapeutic levels before injection, and 18% of the respondents reported that anticoagulants should be intentionally withheld and discontinued prior to injection. In addition, 20%-30% of the respondents answered that they were uncertain whether they should perform the injection regardless of the international normalized ratio values. About 69% of the respondents replied that they did have any standardized protocols for performing botulinum toxin injection in patients using anticoagulants. Only 1 physiatrist replied that he had encountered a case of compartment syndrome. In accordance with the lack of consensus in performing intramuscular botulinum toxin injection in anticoagulated patients, our survey shows a wide range of practices among many Korean physiatrists; they tend to avoid botulinum toxin injection in anticoagulated patients and are uncertain about how to approach these patients. The results of this study emphasize the need for formulating a proper international consensus on botulinum toxin injection management in anticoagulated patients.

  5. Comparison between ultrasound-guided compression and para-aneurysmal saline injection in the treatment of postcatheterization femoral artery pseudoaneurysms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    ElMahdy, Mahmoud Farouk; Kassem, Hussien Heshmat; Ewis, Essam Baligh; Mahdy, Soliman Gharieb

    2014-03-01

    Management of postcatheterization femoral artery pseudoaneurysm (FAP) is problematic. Ultrasound-guided compression (UGC) is painful and cumbersome. Thrombin injection is costly and may cause thromboembolism. Ultrasound-guided para-aneurysmal saline injection (PASI) has been described but was never compared against other treatment methods of FAP. We aimed at comparing the success rate and complications of PASI versus UGC. We randomly assigned 80 patients with postcatheterization FAPs to either UGC (40 patients) or PASI (40 patients). We compared the 2 procedures regarding successful obliteration of the FAP, incidence of vasovagal attacks, procedure time, discontinuation of antiplatelet and/or anticoagulants, and the Doppler waveform in the ipsilateral pedal arteries at the end of the procedure. There was no significant difference between patients in both groups regarding clinical and vascular duplex data. The mean durations of UGC and PASI procedures were 58.14 ± 28.45 and 30.33 ± 8.56 minutes, respectively (p = 0.045). Vasovagal attacks were reported in 10 (25%) and 2 patients (5%) treated with UGC and PASI, respectively (p = 0.05). All patients in both groups had triphasic Doppler waveform in the infrapopliteal arteries before and after the procedure. The primary and final success rates were 75%, 92.5%, 87.5%, and 95% for UGC and PASI, respectively (p = 0.43). In successfully treated patients, there was no reperfusion of the FAP in the follow-up studies (days 1 and 7) in both groups. In conclusion, ultrasound-guided PASI is an effective method for the treatment of FAP. Compared with UGC, PASI is faster, less likely to cause vasovagal reactions, and can be more convenient to patients and physicians. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Saline agriculture in Mediterranean environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Albino Maggio

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Salinization is increasingly affecting world's agricultural land causing serious yield loss and soil degradation. Understanding how we could improve crop productivity in salinized environments is therefore critical to meet the challenging goal of feeding 9.3 billion people by 2050. Our comprehension of fundamental physiological mechanisms in plant salt stress adaptation has greatly advanced over the last decades. However, many of these mechanisms have been linked to salt tolerance in simplified experimental systems whereas they have been rarely functionally proven in real agricultural contexts. In-depth analyses of specific crop-salinity interactions could reveal important aspects of plant salt stress adaptation as well as novel physiological/agronomic targets to improve salinity tolerance. These include the developmental role of root vs. shoot systems respect to water-ion homeostasis, morphological vs. metabolic contributions to stress adaptation, developmental processes vs. seasonal soil salinity evolution, residual effects of saline irrigation in non-irrigated crops, critical parameters of salt tolerance in soil-less systems and controlled environments, response to multiple stresses. Finally, beneficial effects of salinization on qualitative parameters such as stress-induced accumulation of high nutritional value secondary metabolites should be considered, also. In this short review we attempted to highlight the multifaceted nature of salinity in Mediterranean agricultural systems by summarizing most experimental activity carried out at the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Agronomy of University of Naples Federico II in the last few years.

  7. Intra-articular Autologous Conditioned Plasma Injections Provide Safe and Efficacious Treatment for Knee Osteoarthritis: An FDA-Sanctioned, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Patrick A

    2016-04-01

    Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections have become an intriguing treatment option for osteoarthritis (OA), particularly OA of the knee. Despite the plethora of PRP-related citations, there is a paucity of high-level evidence that is comparable, cohort specific, dose controlled, injection protocol controlled, and double-blinded. To determine the safety and efficacy of leukocyte-poor PRP autologous conditioned plasma (ACP) for knee OA treatment through a feasibility trial regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. In accordance with FDA protocol, patient selection was based on strict inclusion/exclusion criteria; 114 patients were screened, and 30 were ultimately included in the study. These patients were randomized to receive either ACP (n = 15) or saline placebo (n = 15) for a series of 3 weekly injections. Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores served as the primary efficacy outcome measure. Patients were followed for 1 year. No adverse events were reported for ACP administration. Furthermore, the results demonstrated no statistically significant difference in baseline WOMAC scores between the 2 groups. However, in the ACP group, WOMAC scores at 1 week were significantly decreased compared with baseline scores, and the scores for this group remained significantly lower throughout the study duration. At the study conclusion (12 months), subjects in the ACP group had improved their overall WOMAC scores by 78% from their baseline score, compared with 7% for the placebo group. ACP is safe and provides quantifiable benefits for pain relief and functional improvement with regard to knee OA. No adverse events were reported for ACP administration. After 1 year, WOMAC scores for the ACP subjects had improved by 78% from their baseline score, whereas scores for the placebo control group had improved by only 7%. Other joints affected with OA may also benefit from this

  8. Comparison of granisetron and lidocaine on reducing injection pain of etomidate: a controlled randomized study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alireza Saliminia

    Full Text Available Abstract Background and objectives Reducing pain on injection of anesthetic drugs is of importance to every anesthesiologist. In this study we pursued to define if pretreatment by granisetron reduces the pain on injection of etomidate similar to lidocaine. Methods Thirty patients aged between 18 and 50 years of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status class I or II, whom were candidates for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery were enrolled in this study. Two 20 gauge cannulas were inserted into the veins on the dorsum of both hands and 100 mL of normal saline was administered during a 10 min period from each cannula. Using an elastic band as a tourniquet, venous drainage of both hands was occluded. 2 mL of granisetron was administered into one hand and 2 mL of lidocaine 2% at the same time into the other hand. One minute later the elastic band was opened and 2 mL of etomidate was administered to each hand with equal rates. The patients were asked to give a score from 0 to 10 (0 = no pain, 10 = severe pain to each the pain sensed in each hand. Results Two patients were deeply sedated after injection of etomidate and unable to answer any questions. The mean numerical rating score for injection pain of intravenously administered etomidate after intravenous granisetron was 2.3 ± 1.7, which was lower when compared with pain sensed due to intravenously administered etomidate after administration of lidocaine 2% (4.6 ± 1.8, p < 0.05. Conclusion The result of this study demonstrated that, granisetron reduces pain on injection of etomidate more efficiently than lidocaine.

  9. Effect of main injection timing for controlling the combustion phasing of a homogeneous charge compression ignition engine using a new dual injection strategy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Das, Pranab; Subbarao, P.M.V.; Subrahmanyam, J.P.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A new dual injection concept is developed by minimum geometry modification. • The occurrence of combustion parameters strongly depend on main injection timing. • At higher load, premixed equivalence ratio dominates over main injection timing. • Retarded of main injection timing tends to retard combustion phasing. • Slightly retarded main injection timing is recommended to avoid intense knocking. - Abstract: Homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion of diesel fuel is implemented using a novel dual injection strategy. A new experimental technique is developed to modify a single cylinder direct injection diesel engine to run on homogeneous combustion mode. Effect of main injection timing is investigated covering a range from 26 to 8 crank angle degrees before top dead center with an interval of 3°. Retarded main injection timing is identified as a control strategy for delaying combustion phasing and a means of controlled combustion phasing of direct injection homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion. Two load conditions were investigated and it was observed that at higher load, start of combustion depends more on fuel air equivalence ratio than main injection timing, whereas at low load, it significantly varies with varying main injection timing. Significant improvements in smoke and oxides of nitrogen emissions are observed when compared with the baseline conventional combustion. By studying different combustion parameters, it is observed that there is an improvement in performance and emissions with marginal loss in thermal efficiency when the main injection timing is 20° before top dead center. This is identified as the optimum main injection timing for such homogeneous combustion under the same operating condition

  10. Injectable Shape-Memorizing Three-Dimensional Hyaluronic Acid Cryogels for Skin Sculpting and Soft Tissue Reconstruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Liying; Ji, Kai; Shih, Ting-Yu; Haddad, Anthony; Giatsidis, Giorgio; Mooney, David J.; Orgill, Dennis P.

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: Hyaluronic acid (HA)-based fillers are used for various cosmetic procedures. However, due to filler migration and degradation, reinjections of the fillers are often required. Methacrylated HA (MA-HA) can be made into injectable shape-memorizing fillers (three-dimensional [3D] MA-HA) aimed to address these issues. In this study, shape retention, firmness, and biocompatibility of 3D MA-HA injected subcutaneously in mice were evaluated. Materials and Methods: Fifteen mice, each receiving two subcutaneous injections in their back, were divided into four groups receiving HA, MA-HA, 3D MA-HA, or saline, respectively. Digital imaging, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and in vivo imaging system (IVIS), durometry, and histology were utilized to evaluate in vitro/vivo degradation and migration, material firmness, and the angiogenic (CD31) and immunogenic (CD45) response of the host tissue toward the injected materials. Results: Digital imaging, SEM, and IVIS revealed that 3D MA-HA fillers maintained their predetermined shape for at least 30 days in vitro and in vivo. Little volume effects were noted in the saline and other control groups. There were no differences in skin firmness between the groups or over time. Histology showed intact skin architecture in all groups. Three-dimensional MA-HA maintained its macroporous structure with significant angiogenesis at the 3D MA-HA/skin interfaces and throughout the 3D MA-HA. There was no significant inflammatory response to any of the injected materials. Conclusion: 3D MA-HA showed remarkable tissue compatibility, compliance, and shape predictability, as well as retention, and thus might be suitable for various skin sculpting and soft tissue reconstruction purposes. PMID:27875939

  11. Shallow rainwater lenses in deltaic areas with saline seepage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Louw, de P.G.B.; Eeman, S.; Siemon, B.; `Voortman, B.R.; Gunnink, J.; Baaren, E.S.; Oude Essink, G.H.P.

    2011-01-01

    In deltaic areas with saline seepage, freshwater availability is often limited to shallow rainwater lenses lying on top of saline groundwater. Here we describe the characteristics and spatial variability of such lenses in areas with saline seepage and the mechanisms that control their occurrence and

  12. Shallow rainwater lenses in deltaic areas with saline seepage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Louw, Perry G.B.; Eeman, Sara; Siemon, Bernhard; Voortman, Bernard R.; Gunnink, Jan; Van Baaren, Esther S.; Oude Essink, Gualbert

    2011-01-01

    In deltaic areas with saline seepage, fresh water availability is often limited to shallow rainwater lenses lying on top of saline groundwater. Here we describe the characteristics and spatial variability of such lenses in areas with saline seepage and the mechanisms that control their occurrence

  13. Enhancement of mouse germ cell-associated genes expression by injection of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells into the testis of chemical-induced azoospermic mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rui-Feng Yang

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Various methods are currently under investigation to preserve fertility in males treated with high-dose chemotherapy and radiation for malignant and nonmalignant disorders. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUC-MSCs, which possess potent immunosuppressive function and secrete various cytokines and growth factors, have the potential clinical applications. As a potential alternative, we investigate whether injection of HUC-MSCs into the interstitial compartment of the testes to promote spermatogenic regeneration efficiently. HUC-MSCs were isolated from different sources of umbilical cords and injected into the interstitial space of one testis from 10 busulfan-treated mice (saline and HEK293 cells injections were performed in a separate set of mice and the other testis remained uninjected. Three weeks after MSCs injection, Relative quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to identify the expression of 10 of germ cell associated, which are all related to meiosis, demonstrated higher levels of spermatogenic gene expression (2-8 fold in HUC-MSCs injected testes compared to the contralateral uninjected testes (five mice. Protein levels for germ cell-specific genes, miwi, vasa and synaptonemal complex protein (Scp3 were also higher in MSC-treated testes compared to injected controls 3 weeks after treatment. However, no different expression was detected in saline water and HEK293 cells injection control group. We have demonstrated HUC-MSCs could affect mouse germ cell-specific genes expression. The results also provide a possibility that the transplanted HUC-MSCs may promote the recovery of spermatogenesis. This study provides further evidence for preclinical therapeutic effects of HUC-MSCs, and explores a new approach to the treatment of azoospermia.

  14. Designing a Prototype LPG Injection Electronic Control Unit for a Carburetted Gasoline Engine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barış ERKUŞ

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available In this study, the originally carburetted gasoline engine was converted to gas-phase liquefied petroleum gas (LPG injection engine by using an after market LPG conversion kit's components except the electronic control unit (ECU. Instead of after market LPG injection ECU, the ECU which was designed considering the effects of  electromagnetic interference (EMI, was used for controlling injection. The designed ECU was tested in terms of EMI while the engine was being run and it was detected that the EMI noises could be suppressed as possible by taken measures. Designed ECU was used in performance tests at different engine conditions and the results obtained with LPG injection were compared with the results obtained with LPG carburetion. According to the performance test results, LPG injection ECU designed in this study could help to achieve low exhaust emissions and high engine performance.  

  15. 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.

  16. Effect of Saline Pushing after Contrast Material Injection in Abdominal Multidetector Computed Tomography with the Use of Different Iodine Concentrations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tatsugami, F.; Matsuki, M.; Kani, H.; Tanikake, M.; Miyao, M.; Yoshikawa, S.; Narabayashi, I.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate whether saline pushing after contrast material improves hepatic vascular and parenchymal enhancement, and to determine whether this technique permits decreased contrast material concentration. Material and Methods: 120 patients who underwent hepatic multidetector computed tomography were divided randomly into four groups (Groups A-D): receiving 100 ml of contrast material (300 mgI/ml) only (A) or with 50 ml of saline solution (B); or 100 ml of contrast material (350 mgI/ml) only (C) or with 50 ml of saline solution (D). Computed tomography (CT) values of the aorta in the arterial phase, the portal vein in the portal venous inflow phase, and the liver in the hepatic phase were measured. Visualization of the hepatic artery and the portal vein by 3D CT angiography was evaluated as well. Results: Although the enhancement values of the aorta were not improved significantly with saline pushing, they continued at a high level to the latter slices with saline pushing. The enhancement value of the portal vein increased significantly and CT portography was improved with saline pushing. The enhancement value of the liver was not improved significantly using saline pushing. In a comparison between groups B and C, the enhancement values of the aorta and portal vein and the visualization of CT arteriography and portography were not statistically different. Conclusion: The saline pushing technique can contribute to a decrease in contrast material concentration for 3D CT arteriography and portography

  17. Naloxone injections into CA3 disrupt pattern completion associated with relapse from cocaine seeking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirk, Ryan A.; Clark, Jascha K.; Moore, Angela; Keefe, Kristen

    2016-01-01

    The goal of the present research was to assess the degree to which a pattern completion process operates in cue-induced relapse to cocaine-seeking behavior. Using a novel cue-preference version of the place preference task, rats were administered cocaine or saline, which resulted in a preference for the cocaine-paired cues. After 21 days of abstinence and prior to the preference test, for one group, PBS or naloxone was injected into the CA3 subregion of the hippocampus and for a second group, saline or naloxone was injected systemically. The results indicated that infusions of naloxone into CA3 or systemic injections produced a marked disruption for one and two cues, but had minimal disruptive effect for three or four cues, suggesting that naloxone injections disrupt CA3 function and trigger a deficit in a pattern completion process. Thus, it appears that cue-based activation of the dorsal CA3 might be a critical trigger via a pattern completion process. Based on additional analyses it appears that there is a disruption primarily for object touches for one cue naloxone injections into the CA3 or systemic injections, but no effect on time (spatial context). PMID:26815290

  18. Study of salinity in aqueous medium using X-Ray beam with MCNP-X code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barbosa, Caroline M.; Braz, Delson [Coordenacao de Pos-Graduacao e Pesquisa de Engenharia (PEN/COPPE/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Programa de Engenharia Nuclear; Salgado, César M., E-mail: cbarbosa@nuclear.ufrj.br, E-mail: delson@nuclear.ufrj.br, E-mail: otero@ien.gov.br [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2017-07-01

    In offshore production, it is possible that the produced water presents geochemical characteristics that correspond to the mixture of formation water (connate water) and the sea water (injection water), and the physical-chemical behavior of the injected water allows a considerable variation in the index of salinity altering the water/oil ratio during transportation and/or extraction. Injection water is generally used to raise the reservoir pressure, increasing the percentage of extracted oil. This water has a significant amount of salts that generate some difficulties, such as measuring fractions of volume in multiphase systems. One way to check the effects of salinity would be to regularly measure the amount of salt present in the water. In this way, this work presents a methodology to measure the concentration and the types of salts using nuclear techniques through the MCNP-X computational code. The measurement geometry uses an X-ray beam (40-100 keV) and NaI(Tl) scintillation detector positioned diametrically opposed to the source. The studied samples were the NaCl, KCl and MgCl{sub 2} salts in aqueous solution. The results present the possibility of differentiating the formation and injection waters due to differences in the salt concentrations. (author)

  19. The Kinetics of Reversible Hyaluronic Acid Filler Injection Treated With Hyaluronidase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juhász, Margit L W; Levin, Melissa K; Marmur, Ellen S

    2017-06-01

    Hyaluronidase is an enzyme capable of dissolution of hyaluronic acid (HA). There is a lack of evidence-based research defining time- and concentration-dependent reversal of HA filler using hyaluronidase. To explore the efficacy of different concentrations of hyaluronidase in digesting commercially available HA-based reversible fillers-Belotero Balance (BEL), Juvederm Ultra XC (JUVXC), Juvederm Ultra Plus (JUVX+), Juvederm Voluma XC (JUVV), Restylane-L (RESL), Restylane Silk (RESS), and Perlane/Restylane Lyft (RESLYFT). This was a blinded randomized study involving 15 participants. Participants received HA filler injection into their back, followed by no secondary injection, or injection with normal saline, 20 or 40 units of hyaluronidase. Using a 5-point palpation scale, the degradation of HA filler was monitored over 14 days. In the authors' study, there is a significant decrease in HA filler degradation using 20 and 40 units of hyaluronidase compared with no secondary injection or normal saline. There is no significant difference in HA filler dissolution when comparing 20 to 40 units of hyaluronidase. Lower concentrations of hyaluronidase may be just as effective as higher concentrations to degrade HA filler in situations where the reversal of cutaneous augmentation with HA filler arises.

  20. The effect of vitamin E and selenium on serum injection on serumic levels of T3 and T4 hormones in the Arabian horse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Rezapour

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available This study was conducted evaluate the effect of vitamin E and Selenium injection on serumic levels of thyroid hormones in the Arabian horse. Twelve Arabian stallions of approximately equal age were selected and based on their age (4 and 5 years old, allocated to tow groups each consisting of six animals. In each group, three of the six horses were injected by vitamins E and selenium at a dose rate of 1cc/30 kg intramuscularly every tow days and the other three animals which were chosen as the controls were similarly injected by normal saline solution. Two days alter each injection; blood samples of the horses in each group were collected using venoject from the jugular vein. After separating the blood serum by centrifuging, the levels of T3 and T4 were measured using the ELISA technique. Following the first injection, the serumic levels of thyroid hormones demonstrated a significant increase in comparison with the controls (p

  1. Use of anatomic measurement to guide injection of botulinum toxin for the management of chronic lateral epicondylitis: a randomized controlled trial

    Science.gov (United States)

    Espandar, Ramin; Heidari, Pedram; Rasouli, Mohammad Reza; Saadat, Soheil; Farzan, Mahmood; Rostami, Mohsen; Yazdanian, Shideh; Mortazavi, S.M. Javad

    2010-01-01

    Background When using botulinum toxin for the management of lateral epicondylitis, injection at a fixed distance from an anatomic landmark could result in inadequate paralysis of the intended muscle. We assessed the effectiveness of injection of botulinum toxin using precise anatomic measurement in individual patients. Methods In this randomized placebo-controlled trial, 48 patients with chronic refractory lateral epicondylitis were randomly assigned to receive a single injection of either botulinum toxin (60 units) or placebo (normal saline). The site of injection was chosen as a distance one-third the length of the forearm from the tip of the lateral epicondyle on the course of the posterior interosseus nerve. The primary outcome measure was intensity of pain at rest, measured with the use of a 100-mm visual analogue scale, at baseline and at 4, 8 and 16 weeks after injection. Results Compared with the placebo group, the group given botulinum toxin had significant reductions in pain at rest during follow-up (decrease at 4 weeks 14.1 mm, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.8–22.3; at 8 weeks 11.5 mm, 95% CI 2.0–21.0; at 16 weeks 12.6 mm, 95% CI 7.7–17.8; p = 0.01). As for the secondary outcomes, the intensity of pain during maximum pinch decreased in the botulinum toxin group; there was no difference in pain during maximum grip or in grip strength between the two groups. All but one of the patients in the intervention group experienced weakness in the extension of the third and fourth fingers at week 4 that resolved by week 16. No serious adverse events were reported. Interpretation The use of precise anatomic measurement to guide injection of botulinum toxin significantly reduced pain at rest in patients with chronic refractory lateral epicondylitis. However, the transient extensor lag makes this method inappropriate for patients whose job requires finger extension. (ClinicalTrials.gov trial register no. NCT00497913.) PMID:20421357

  2. Quality control of injection moulded micro mechanical parts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gasparin, Stefania; Tosello, Guido; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard

    2009-01-01

    Quality control of micro components is an increasing challenge. Smaller mechanical parts are characterized by smaller tolerance to be verified. This paper focuses on the dimensional verification of micro injection moulded components selected from an industrial application. These parts are measured...... using an Optical Coordinate Measuring Machine (OCMM), which guarantees fast surface scans suitable for in line quality control. The uncertainty assessment of the measurements is calculated following the substitution method. To investigate the influence parameters in optical coordinate metrology two...

  3. The effect of OK-432 (Picibanil) injection on the histopathology of nasal turbinate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sengul, S; Kaygusuz, I; Akin, M M; Yalcin, Ş; Karlidag, T; Keles, E; Arslan, I

    2015-12-01

    This study aimed to assess the histopathological effect of OK-432 (Picibanil) on rabbit nasal turbinates. A total of 21 rabbits were divided into 3 treatment groups and various parts of both nasal turbinates were injected with 0.5 ml OK-432, 0.2 ml OK-432 or 0.6 ml saline (control). Bilateral nasal turbinates were later excised and studied under light microscopy to assess any histopathological changes. Animals in the 0.2 ml and 0.5 ml OK-432 groups exhibited mild ciliary loss, goblet cell loss and epithelial damage, and a marked increase in inflammatory cell infiltration, submucosal vascularisation and fibrosis. There was a significant difference in histopathological changes between the two OK-432 treated groups. In addition, each OK-432 treated group had significantly more inflammatory cell infiltration, increased submucosal vascularisation and fibrosis compared with controls. The marked fibrosis observed in OK-432-injected turbinates may be responsible for a reduction in turbinate size.

  4. Injectable, in situ forming poly(propylene fumarate)-based ocular drug delivery systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ueda, H; Hacker, M C; Haesslein, A; Jo, S; Ammon, D M; Borazjani, R N; Kunzler, J F; Salamone, J C; Mikos, A G

    2007-12-01

    This study sought to develop an injectable formulation for long-term ocular delivery of fluocinolone acetonide (FA) by dissolving the anti-inflammatory drug and the biodegradable polymer poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) in the biocompatible, water-miscible, organic solvent N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). Upon injection of the solution into an aqueous environment, a FA-loaded PPF matrix is precipitated in situ through the diffusion/extraction of NMP into surrounding aqueous fluids. Fabrication of the matrices and in vitro release studies were performed in phosphate buffered saline at 37 degrees C. Drug loadings up to 5% were achieved. High performance liquid chromatography was employed to determine the released amount of FA. The effects of drug loading, PPF content of the injectable formulation, and additional photo-crosslinking of the matrix surface were investigated. Overall, FA release was sustained in vitro over up to 400 days. After an initial burst release of 22 to 68% of initial FA loading, controlled drug release driven by diffusion and bulk erosion was observed. Drug release rates in a therapeutic range were demonstrated. Release kinetics were found to be dependent on drug loading, formulation PPF content, and extent of surface crosslinking. The results suggest that injectable, in situ formed PPF matrices are promising candidates for the formulation of long-term, controlled delivery devices for intraocular drug delivery. Copyright 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Lung perfusion in hemorrhagic shock of rats. The effects of resuscitation with whole blood, saline or hes 6%

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Turhanoglu, S.; Kaya, S.; Kararmaz, A.; Turhanoglu, A.D. [Dicle Univ., Diyarbakir (Turkey). Medical School

    2001-12-01

    This study was undertaken to determine the effects of various resuscitation regimens on lung perfusion following resuscitation from hemorrhagic shock. Fourty male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300 g) were used. The rats were divided randomly into four groups (n=10 for each) and were sedated with intramuscular ketamine (100 mg/kg). We measured blood pressure, rectal temperature and lung perfusion using radioscintigraphy with a technetium colloid indicator. The systolic blood pressure was decreased 75% by removing blood via v. jugularis in the first three groups and group 4 was accepted as the control group, and blood volume was not diminished. Then the first three groups were resuscitated with autologous blood containing 125 units heparine/ml in group 1, saline in group 2, and hydroxyethyl starch (HES) 6% in group 3. After the correction of hypovolemia, all animals were injected 100 Bg (0.1 cc) technetium 99m macroaggregated albumin ({sup 99m}Tc MAA) via penil vein. After injection of {sup 99m}Tc MAA, 3 minutes fixed images were detected by a {gamma} camera in posterior position at 15 minutes and 5 hours. {sup 99m}Tc MMA ''wash out'' rate in lung was determined quantitatively at 5 hours. Compared to a control group, lung perfusion was decreased significantly in groups resuscitated with saline, and HES 6% while perfusion was restored with autologous blood. We conclude that heparinized autologous blood saved lung capillary circulation in hemorrhagic shock in rats. (author)

  6. Lung perfusion in hemorrhagic shock of rats. The effects of resuscitation with whole blood, saline or hes 6%

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turhanoglu, S.; Kaya, S.; Kararmaz, A.; Turhanoglu, A.D.

    2001-01-01

    This study was undertaken to determine the effects of various resuscitation regimens on lung perfusion following resuscitation from hemorrhagic shock. Fourty male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300 g) were used. The rats were divided randomly into four groups (n=10 for each) and were sedated with intramuscular ketamine (100 mg/kg). We measured blood pressure, rectal temperature and lung perfusion using radioscintigraphy with a technetium colloid indicator. The systolic blood pressure was decreased 75% by removing blood via v. jugularis in the first three groups and group 4 was accepted as the control group, and blood volume was not diminished. Then the first three groups were resuscitated with autologous blood containing 125 units heparine/ml in group 1, saline in group 2, and hydroxyethyl starch (HES) 6% in group 3. After the correction of hypovolemia, all animals were injected 100 Bg (0.1 cc) technetium 99m macroaggregated albumin ( 99m Tc MAA) via penil vein. After injection of 99m Tc MAA, 3 minutes fixed images were detected by a γ camera in posterior position at 15 minutes and 5 hours. 99m Tc MMA ''wash out'' rate in lung was determined quantitatively at 5 hours. Compared to a control group, lung perfusion was decreased significantly in groups resuscitated with saline, and HES 6% while perfusion was restored with autologous blood. We conclude that heparinized autologous blood saved lung capillary circulation in hemorrhagic shock in rats. (author)

  7. Dextrose Prolotherapy for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rabago, David; Patterson, Jeffrey J.; Mundt, Marlon; Kijowski, Richard; Grettie, Jessica; Segal, Neil A.; Zgierska, Aleksandra

    2013-01-01

    PURPOSE Knee osteoarthritis is a common, debilitating chronic disease. Prolotherapy is an injection therapy for chronic musculoskeletal pain. We conducted a 3-arm, blinded (injector, assessor, injection group participants), randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of prolotherapy for knee osteoarthritis. METHODS Ninety adults with at least 3 months of painful knee osteoarthritis were randomized to blinded injection (dextrose prolotherapy or saline) or at-home exercise. Extra- and intra-articular injections were done at 1, 5, and 9 weeks with as-needed additional treatments at weeks 13 and 17. Exercise participants received an exercise manual and in-person instruction. Outcome measures included a composite score on the Western Ontario McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC; 100 points); knee pain scale (KPS; individual knee), post-procedure opioid medication use, and participant satisfaction. Intention-to-treat analysis using analysis of variance was used. RESULTS No baseline differences existed between groups. All groups reported improved composite WOMAC scores compared with baseline status (P dextrose prolotherapy improved more (P <.05) at 52 weeks than did scores for patients receiving saline and exercise (score change: 15.3 ± 3.5 vs 7.6 ± 3.4, and 8.2 ± 3.3 points, respectively) and exceeded the WOMAC-based minimal clinically important difference. Individual knee pain scores also improved more in the prolotherapy group (P = .05). Use of prescribed postprocedure opioid medication resulted in rapid diminution of injection-related pain. Satisfaction with prolotherapy was high. There were no adverse events. CONCLUSIONS Prolotherapy resulted in clinically meaningful sustained improvement of pain, function, and stiffness scores for knee osteoarthritis compared with blinded saline injections and at-home exercises. PMID:23690322

  8. Controlling charge injection in organic electronic devices using self-assembled monolayers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, I. H.; Kress, J. D.; Martin, R. L.; Smith, D. L.; Barashkov, N. N.; Ferraris, J. P.

    1997-12-01

    We demonstrate control and improvement of charge injection in organic electronic devices by utilizing self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to manipulate the Schottky energy barrier between a metal electrode and the organic electronic material. Hole injection from Cu electrodes into the electroluminescent conjugated polymer poly[2-methoxy,5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] was varied by using two conjugated-thiol based SAMs. The chemically modified electrodes were incorporated in organic diode structures and changes in the metal/polymer Schottky energy barriers and current-voltage characteristics were measured. Decreasing (increasing) the Schottky energy barrier improves (degrades) charge injection into the polymer.

  9. The Edinburgh Addiction Cohort: recruitment and follow-up of a primary care based sample of injection drug users and non drug-injecting controls

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kimber Jo

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Injection drug use is an important public health problem. Epidemiological understanding of this problem is incomplete as longitudinal studies in the general population are difficult to undertake. In particular little is known about early life risk factors for later drug injection or about the life course of injection once established including the influence of medical and social interventions. Methods Individuals thought to be drug injectors were identified through a single primary medical care facility in Edinburgh between 1980 and 2006 and flagged with the General Registry Office. From October 2005 - October 2007, these cases were traced and invited to undergo interview assessment covering early life experience, substance use, health and social histories. Age and sex matched controls for confirmed cases (alive and dead were later recruited through the same health facility. Controls for living cases completed the same structured interview schedule. Data were also collected on cases and controls through linkage to routine primary care records, death registrations, hospital contact statistics and police and prison records. All interviews were conducted with the knowledge and permission of the current GP. Results The initial cohort size was 814. At start of follow up 227 had died. Of the remaining 587: 20 had no contact details and 5 had embarked from the UK; 40 declined participation; 38 did not respond to invitations; 14 were excluded by their GP on health or social grounds and 22 had their contact details withheld by administrative authorities. 448 were interviewed of whom 16 denied injection and were excluded. Of 191 dead cases with medical records 4 were excluded as their records contained no evidence of injection. 5 interviewed cases died before follow up was concluded though these individuals were counted as "live" cases. 1 control per case (dead and alive was recruited. Linkage to Scottish Morbidity Records data

  10. Clinicopathologic, gross necropsy, and histologic findings after intramuscular injection of carprofen in a pigeon (Columba livia) model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zollinger, Tawina J; Hoover, John P; Payton, Mark E; Schiller, Chris A

    2011-09-01

    To evaluate the pathologic effects of carprofen in a pigeon model (Columba livia), 52 young adult pigeons were used in a randomized control study design. Sixteen pigeons were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups and received carprofen by intramuscular injection at dosages of either 2, 5, or 10 mg/kg once daily for 7 days. Four pigeons served as saline-injected controls. Four pigeons from each group and 1 control pigeon were randomly selected on days 2, 4, 6, and 8 to obtain blood samples and then were euthanatized and submitted for necropsy. Histologic lesions in pectoral muscle, liver, kidney, and digestive tract tissue samples were ranked in severity as 0, normal/not present; 1, minimal; 2, mild; 3, mild to moderate; 4, moderate; 5, moderate to marked; and 6, marked pathologic changes. Two-way analysis of variance (day x dose) and pairwise t tests revealed significant (P carprofen treatments. Gross lesions in carprofen-treated pigeons were pale injection sites (23/48 [47.9%]), mottled yellow livers (9/48 [18.8%]), and congestion of small intestines (7/48 [14.6%]). Liver, kidney, and muscle injection sites had significantly increased (P carprofen is associated with increased aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase enzyme concentrations, gross lesions in muscle injection sites and liver, and histologic lesions in liver and muscle.

  11. Characterization and Alteration of Wettability States of Alaskan Reserviors to Improve Oil Recovery Efficiency (including the within-scope expansion based on Cyclic Water Injection - a pulsed waterflood for Enhanced Oil Recovery)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abhijit Dandekar; Shirish Patil; Santanu Khataniar

    2008-12-31

    Numerous early reports on experimental works relating to the role of wettability in various aspects of oil recovery have been published. Early examples of laboratory waterfloods show oil recovery increasing with increasing water-wetness. This result is consistent with the intuitive notion that strong wetting preference of the rock for water and associated strong capillary-imbibition forces gives the most efficient oil displacement. This report examines the effect of wettability on waterflooding and gasflooding processes respectively. Waterflood oil recoveries were examined for the dual cases of uniform and non-uniform wetting conditions. Based on the results of the literature review on effect of wettability and oil recovery, coreflooding experiments were designed to examine the effect of changing water chemistry (salinity) on residual oil saturation. Numerous corefloods were conducted on reservoir rock material from representative formations on the Alaska North Slope (ANS). The corefloods consisted of injecting water (reservoir water and ultra low-salinity ANS lake water) of different salinities in secondary as well as tertiary mode. Additionally, complete reservoir condition corefloods were also conducted using live oil. In all the tests, wettability indices, residual oil saturation, and oil recovery were measured. All results consistently lead to one conclusion; that is, a decrease in injection water salinity causes a reduction in residual oil saturation and a slight increase in water-wetness, both of which are comparable with literature observations. These observations have an intuitive appeal in that water easily imbibes into the core and displaces oil. Therefore, low-salinity waterfloods have the potential for improved oil recovery in the secondary recovery process, and ultra low-salinity ANS lake water is an attractive source of injection water or a source for diluting the high-salinity reservoir water. As part of the within-scope expansion of this project

  12. A novel submucosal injection solution for endoscopic resection of large colorectal lesions: a randomized, double-blind trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Repici, Alessandro; Wallace, Michael; Sharma, Prateek; Bhandari, Pradeep; Lollo, Gianluca; Maselli, Roberta; Hassan, Cesare; Rex, Douglas K

    2018-05-08

    SIC-8000 (Eleview) is a new FDA-approved solution for submucosal injection developed to provide long-lasting cushion to facilitate endoscopic resection maneuvers. Our aim was to compare the efficacy and safety of SIC-8000 with those of saline solution, when performing endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) of large colorectal lesions. In a randomized double-blind trial, patients undergoing EMR for ≥20 mm colorectal non-pedunculated lesions were randomized in a 1:1 ratio between SIC-8000 and saline solution as control solution in 5 tertiary centers. Endoscopists and patients were blinded to the type of submucosal solution used. Total volume to complete EMR and per lesion size and time of resection were primary end-points, whereas the Sydney Resection Quotient (SRQ), as well as other EMR outcomes, and the rate of adverse events were secondary. A 30-day telephone follow up was performed. An alpha level <0.05 was considered as statistically significant (NCT 02654418). Of the 327 patients screened, 226 (mean age: 66±10; males: 56%) were enrolled in the study and randomized between the 2 submucosal agents. Of these, 211 patients (mean size of the lesions 33±13 mm; I-s: 36%; proximal colon: 74%) entered in the final analysis (SIC-8000: 102; saline solution: 109). EMR was complete in all cases. The total volume needed for EMR was significantly less in the SIC-8000 arm compared with saline solution (16.1±9.8 mL vs 31.6±32.0 mL; p<0.001). This corresponded to an average volume per lesion size of 0.5±0.3 mL/mm and 0.9±0.6 mL/mm with SIC-8000 and saline solution, respectively, (p<0.001). The mean time to completely resect the lesion tended to be lower with SIC-8000 as compared with saline solution (19.1±16.8 minutes vs 29.7±68.9 minutes; p=0.1). The SRQ was significantly higher with SIC-8000 as compared with saline solution (10.3±8.1 vs 8.0±5.7; p=0.04) with a trend for a lower number of resected pieces (5.7±6.0 vs 6.5±5.04; p=0.052) and a higher rate of en bloc

  13. Dextrose prolotherapy and corticosteroid injection into rat Achilles tendon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martins, C A Q; Bertuzzi, R T; Tisot, R A; Michelin, A F; do Prado, J M; Stroher, A; Burigo, M

    2012-10-01

    To assess the mechanical behavior and the histology of collagen fibers after prolotherapy with 12.5% dextrose into rat Achilles tendons and to compare with those of corticosteroid treatment. Out of 60 adult female Wistar rats (70 tendons), 15 received 12.5% dextrose (group I); 15 were treated with corticosteroid injection (group II); and 15 were given 0.9% saline injection (group III), all into the right Achilles tendon, whereas 13 animals received no injections (group IV). Three doses of each substance (groups I, II, and III) were given at a 5-day interval. Collagen fiber color was quantitatively assessed in three samples from each group and in five samples from the control group using picrosirius red staining under polarized and nonpolarized light. Twelve tendons from each group treated with the test substance and 20 tendons from the control group were submitted to the tensile strength test. There was no statistical difference across the groups with respect to maximum load at failure (n.s.) and absorbed energy (n.s.). With respect to tendon rupture, there was no difference between the myotendinous and the tendinous regions (n.s.). However, hematoxylin-eosin staining revealed statistical significance in lymphocytic inflammatory infiltrate (P = 0.008) and in parallel fiber orientation (P = 0.003) when comparing groups to the control group, without significance for either neovascularization (n.s.) or the presence of fibroblasts (n.s.). Likewise, there was no significant difference between the percentage of mature (n.s.) and immature (n.s.) fibers. Dextrose was not deleterious to the tendinous tissue, as it did not change the mechanical and histological properties of Achilles tendons in rats. The data obtained in this study may help clinicians in their daily work as they suggest that injections of 12.5% dextrose caused no harm to the tendons, although the clinical importance in humans still needs to be defined.

  14. Radiofrequency ablation with epinephrine injection: in vivo study in normal pig livers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Hyoung Jung; Lee, Dong Hoo; Lim, Joo Won; Ko, Young Tae; Kim, Youn Wha; Choi, Bong Keun [Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-07-15

    We wanted to evaluate whether epinephrine injection prior to radiofrequency (RF) ablation can increase the extent of thermally mediated coagulation in vivo normal pig liver tissue. Eighteen RF ablation zones were created in six pigs using a 17-gauge internally cooled electrode under ultrasound guidance. Three RF ablation zones were created in each pig under three conditions: RF ablation alone, RF ablation after the injection of 3 mL of normal saline, and RF ablation after the injection of 3 mL of epinephrine (1:10,000 solution). After the RF ablation, we measured the short and long diameters of the white zones in the gross specimens. Three of the RF ablations were technically unsuccessful; therefore, measurement of white zone was finally done in 15 RF ablation zones. The mean short and long diameters of the white zone of the RF ablation after epinephrine injection (17.2 mm {+-} 1.8 and 20.8 mm {+-} 3.7, respectively) were larger than those of RF ablation only (10 mm {+-} 1.2 and 12.2 mm {+-} 1.1, respectively) and RF ablation after normal saline injection (12.8 mm {+-} 1.5 and 15.6 mm {+-} 2.5, respectively) ({rho} < .05). RF ablation with epinephrine injection can increase the diameter of the RF ablation zone in normal pig liver tissue.

  15. Biochar mitigates salinity stress in potato

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Saleem Akhtar, Saqib; Andersen, M.N.; Liu, Fulai

    2015-01-01

    capability of biochar. Results indicated that biochar was capable to ameliorate salinity stress by adsorbing Na+. Increasing salinity level resulted in significant reductions of shoot biomass, root length and volume, tuber yield, photosynthetic rate (An), stomatal conductance (gs), midday leaf water......A pot experiment was conducted in a climate-controlled greenhouse to investigate the growth, physiology and yield of potato in response to salinity stress under biochar amendment. It was hypothesized that addition of biochar may improve plant growth and yield by mitigating the negative effect...... potential, but increased abscisic acid (ABA) concentration in both leaf and xylem sap. At each salinity level, incorporation of biochar increased shoot biomass, root length and volume, tuber yield, An, gs, midday leaf water potential, and decreased ABA concentration in the leaf and xylem sap as compared...

  16. Bolus injections of measured amounts of radioactivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wesolowski, C.A.; Hogendoorn, P.; Vandierendonck, R.; Driedger, A.A.

    1988-01-01

    Many time-based radionuclide techniques, such as glomerular filtration rate measurement (GFR), require prompt intravenous delivery of and accurately measured tracer bolus with minimal residual tracer retention at the injection site. The quality assurance aspects of two antecubital vein, quantitative injection techniques were investigated. A flush bolus technique using a tuberculin syringe piggybacked onto a 10-ml saline flush was compared to a single blood pressure cuff injection technique. Scintillation camera data for each technique were compared for bolus duration in the abdominal aorta and for residual activity at the injection site at 5 min. Bolus times were measured as the FWHM of the gamma variate fit to the abdominal aortic regional time-activity curves. Relatively little focal activity was seen in the antecubital injection site following the flush bolus: marked residual activity was seen following the blood pressure cuff injections. The injection site/arm background ratios averaged 1.3 for the flush bolus and 30.1 for the cuff technique. Although both methods allowed accurate in vitro determination of administered radioactivity, only the tuberculin syringe flush bolus technique was acceptable for time-based quantitation because of its superior in vivo characteristics

  17. Control, data acquisition and analysis for the JET neutral injection test bed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, T.T.C.; Brenan, P.R.; Rodgers, M.E.; Stork, D.; Young, I.D.

    1984-01-01

    The Neutral Injection Test-Bed (NITB) is a major experimental assembly in support of the Neutral Beam Heating Programme for JET. In addition to its prime function of testing the Neutral Injection hardware, the Test Bed serves as the prototype to test the computer control and data acquisition system, which is described. (author)

  18. Injection control development of the JT-60U electron cyclotron heating system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hiranai, Shinichi; Shinozaki, Shin-ichi; Yokokura, Kenji; Moriyama, Shinichi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Naka, Ibaraki (Japan). Naka Fusion Research Establishment; Sato, Fumiaki [Nippon Advanced Technology Co., Ltd., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan); Suzuki, Yasuo [Atomic Energy General Service Co., Ltd., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan); Ikeda, Yoshitaka [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Kashiwa, Chiba (Japan)

    2003-03-01

    The JT-60U electron cyclotron heating (ECH) System injects a millimeteric wave at 110 GHz into the JT-60 Plasma, and heats the plasma or drives a current locally to enhance the confinement performance of the JT-60 plasma. The system consists of four sets of high power gyrotrons, high voltage power supplies and transmission lines, and two antennas that launch electron cyclotron (EC) beams toward the plasma. The key features of the injection control system are streering of the direction of the EC beam by driving the movable mirror in the antenna, and capability to set any combination of polarization angle and ellipticity by rotating the two grooved mirrors in the polarizers. This report represents the design, fabrication and improvements of the injection control system. (author)

  19. Compressed air injection technique to standardize block injection pressures : [La technique d'injection d'air comprimé pour normaliser les pressions d'injection d'un blocage nerveux].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsui, Ban C H; Li, Lisa X Y; Pillay, Jennifer J

    2006-11-01

    Presently, no standardized technique exists to monitor injection pressures during peripheral nerve blocks. Our objective was to determine if a compressed air injection technique, using an in vitro model based on Boyle's law and typical regional anesthesia equipment, could consistently maintain injection pressures below a 1293 mmHg level associated with clinically significant nerve injury. Injection pressures for 20 and 30 mL syringes with various needle sizes ( 18G, 20G, 21 G, 22G, and 24G) were measured in a closed system. A set volume of air was aspirated into a saline-filled syringe and then compressed and maintained at various percentages while pressure was measured. The needle was inserted into the injection port of a pressure sensor, which had attached extension tubing with an injection plug clamped "off". Using linear regression with all data points, the pressure value and 99% confidence interval (CI) at 50% air compression was estimated. The linearity of Boyle's law was demonstrated with a high correlation, r = 0.99, and a slope of 0.984 (99% CI: 0.967-1.001). The net pressure generated at 50% compression was estimated as 744.8 mmHg, with the 99% CI between 729.6 and 760.0 mmHg. The various syringe/needle combinations had similar results. By creating and maintaining syringe air compression at 50% or less, injection pressures will be substantially below the 1293 mmHg threshold considered to be an associated risk factor for clinically significant nerve injury. This technique may allow simple, real-time and objective monitoring during local anesthetic injections while inherently reducing injection speed. Présentement, aucune technique normalisée ne permet de vérifier les pressions d'injection pendant les blocages nerveux périphériques. Nous voulions vérifier si une technique d'injection d'air comprimé, utilisant un modèle in vitro fondé sur la loi de Boyle et du matériel propre à l'anesthésie régionale, pouvait maintenir avec régularité les

  20. Safety of radiofrequency treatment over human skin previously injected with medium-term injectable soft-tissue augmentation materials: a controlled pilot trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alam, Murad; Levy, Ross; Pajvani, Urvi; Pavjani, Urvi; Ramierez, James A; Guitart, Joan; Veen, Heather; Gladstone, Hayes B

    2006-03-01

    Several soft-tissue augmentation materials are now available for reduction of nasolabial fold creases and perioral rhytides. Nasolabial folds and perioral rhytides can also be improved by skin tightening delivered by non-ablative radiofrequency (RF) treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess the safety of RF treatment over skin areas recently injected with medium-term injectable soft-tissue augmentation materials. Five subjects were assigned to the experimental arm (augmentation materials plus RF) and one to the control arm (augmentation materials alone). Each subject received injections of 0.3 mL of hyaluronic acid derivative (Restylane) and calcium hydroxylapatite (Radiesse) 3 cm apart on the upper inner arm. Two weeks later, two non-overlapping passes of RF (Thermage ThermaCool TC) were delivered at 63.5 setting with medium-fast 1.5 cm2 tip over injected sites in all of the experimental subjects. Punch skin biopsies were obtained 3 days later from each of the two injection sites on each subject. Light microscopy and digital photomicrographs obtained at low, medium, and high power showed no difference between filler materials in experimental and control subjects. In both cases filler was evident at the deep dermal-subcutaneous junction. Nodule formation, foreign body extravasation, or hemorrhage/clot was not observed grossly or histologically. Subjects and physicians did not report any difference in signs and symptoms between the experimental and control arms. Slightly increased transitory pain was noted when RF was delivered over filler versus over normal skin. Applying RF treatment over the same area 2 weeks after deep dermal injection with hyaluronic acid derivatives or calcium hydroxylapatite does not appear to cause gross morphological changes in the filler material or surrounding skin. Further studies with different parameters are necessary to confirm these findings. 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  1. Salinity Effects on Germination Properties ofPurslane (Portulaca oleracea L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    m Kafi

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract In order to study seed germination and seedling growth responses of purslane to different levels of salinity, an experiment was conducted in a completely randomized desgin with six levels of salinity (0, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 dS/m using NaCl and five replications. Persentage and rate of germination, length and dry weight of radicle and plumule were measured, and ratio radicle to plumule length, mean germination time and seedling vigor index were calculated. The results showed that up to 28 dS/m salinity did not impose any significant different in germination percentage compared with control, but in 35 dS/m salinity it decreased to 19%. germination rate did not show any significant different up to 14 dS/m in comparison with control but beyond this level it significantly decreased with increasing salt stress. Mean germination time up to 21 dS/m did not have significant different in comparison with control, but increased with increasing salinity significantly. Length, fresh and dry weight of radicle and plumule, and seedling vigor index significantly decreased by increasing salinity. Ratio of radicle to plumule length decreased with increasing salt concentration, but there were not significant different among salt levels. According to the results, the germination stage of purslane is remarkably resistant to elevated levels of salinity and it seems that by exerting proper management in farms, it could be established in saline environments. Keywords: Plumule, Radicle, Seedlings of purslane

  2. Comparative results of gastric submucosal injection with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose and normal saline solution in a porcine model Resultados comparativos de injeção submucosa gástrica com hidroximetil celulose, carboximetilcelulose e soro fisiológico em modelo suíno

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciano Lenz

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available CONTEXT: Endoscopic mucosal resection is an established modality for excision of sessile lesions in the gastrointestinal tract. Submucosal fluid injection creates a cushion and may prevent thermal injury and perforation. OBJECTIVES: This blind study investigated the performance of three different solutions to create submucosal fluid cushions in porcine stomach. METHODS: Three solutions were injected in the stomach of nine pigs BR1: normal saline solution, carboxymethylcellulose 0.5% and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose 0.25%. In each pig, submucosal injections with 6 mL per test-solution were performed. One drop of methylene blue was added to all injections for better visualization. The time for the bleb to disappear was recorded. RESULTS: The overall median time of visible submucosal cushion was 37 minutes (range 12-60 min for hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, 31 minutes for carboxymethylcellulose (range 10-43 min and 19 minutes for normal saline solution (range 8-37 min. There was no statistically significant difference neither between normal saline solution and carboxymethylcellulose (P = 0.146 nor carboxymethylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (P = 0.119 but the median duration of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose was significantly longer than normal saline solution (P = 0.039. CONCLUSIONS: The length of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose submucosal fluid cushion is longer in comparison with normal saline solution. The median time for carboxymethylcellulose was not longer than normal saline solution. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, in the concentration of 0.25%, may be a durable alternative for submucosal injection.CONTEXTO: A ressecção endoscópica mucosa é uma modalidade estabelecida para a excisão de lesões sésseis no trato gastrointestinal. A injeção de fluídos na submucosa cria uma coxim que pode prevenir lesão térmica e perfuração. OBJETIVO: Este estudo cego investiga o desempenho de três diferentes soluções para criar um

  3. Cellulolytic activity of some cellulose-decomposing fungi in salinized soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. A. Badran

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Maximum evolution of CO2 was marked in control soil inoculated by tested fungi but its rate decreased with the increasing salinity. The period of 10 days was most suitable for cellulose degradation by A. niger and P. chrysoecnum and 15 days by A. flavus and C. globosum in control soil. High salinity levels affected greatly the cellulolylic activities of tesled fungi. Carbon content of saline soils increased white the nitrogen content decreased.

  4. Carbon dioxide degassing in fresh and saline water. II: Degassing performance of an air-lift

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Moran, Damian

    2010-01-01

    A study was undertaken to measure the efficiency with which carbon dioxide was stripped from freshwater (0‰) and saline water (35‰ NaCl) passing through an air-lift at 15 °C. The air-lift was constructed of 50 mm (OD) PVC pipe submerged 95 cm in a tank, had an adjustable air injection rate, and c...... for any water type (i.e. temperature, alkalinity, salinity and influent CO2 concentration).......A study was undertaken to measure the efficiency with which carbon dioxide was stripped from freshwater (0‰) and saline water (35‰ NaCl) passing through an air-lift at 15 °C. The air-lift was constructed of 50 mm (OD) PVC pipe submerged 95 cm in a tank, had an adjustable air injection rate......, and could be adjusted to three lifting heights: 11, 16 and 25 cm. The gas to liquid ratio (G:L) was high (1.9–2.0) at low water discharge rates (Qw) and represented the initial input energy required to raise the water up the vertical riser section to the discharge pipe. The air-lift increased in pumping...

  5. Controlling charge injection in organic electronic devices using self-assembled monolayers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Campbell, I.H.; Kress, J.D.; Martin, R.L.; Smith, D.L. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States); Barashkov, N.N.; Ferraris, J.P. [The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75083 (United States)

    1997-12-01

    We demonstrate control and improvement of charge injection in organic electronic devices by utilizing self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to manipulate the Schottky energy barrier between a metal electrode and the organic electronic material. Hole injection from Cu electrodes into the electroluminescent conjugated polymer poly[2-methoxy,5-(2{sup {prime}}-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] was varied by using two conjugated-thiol based SAMs. The chemically modified electrodes were incorporated in organic diode structures and changes in the metal/polymer Schottky energy barriers and current{endash}voltage characteristics were measured. Decreasing (increasing) the Schottky energy barrier improves (degrades) charge injection into the polymer. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}

  6. A randomized controlled trial comparing parenteral normal saline with and without 5% dextrose on the course of labor in nulliparous women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Chanderdeep; Kalra, Jasvinder; Bagga, Rashmi; Kumar, Praveen

    2012-12-01

    The objective of this study was to compare intravenous normal saline with and without 5% dextrose on the course of labor in nulliparous women in active phase of spontaneous labor. In a randomized controlled trial, term, nulliparous women with singleton pregnancy in active labor were randomized into one of two groups receiving either normal saline or normal saline alternating with 5% dextrose at rate of 175 ml/h. The primary outcome was total length of labor from onset of study fluid in vaginally delivered women. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were also analyzed. Of 250 women enrolled, in vaginally delivered subjects, there was significant difference in the duration of labor (p=0.0) and prolonged labor (p=0.01), with favorable results for women in 5% dextrose alternating with normal saline. No statistically significant differences were observed in the cesarean section rates between the groups. The cord pH was significantly higher in neonates born to women in 5% dextrose alternating with normal saline infusion as compared to normal saline alone (p=0.01), however, no neonate in the study had acidemia. Administration of a 5% dextrose solution alternating with normal saline is a better parenteral fluid for significantly decreasing duration of labor in term vaginally delivered nulliparous women in spontaneous active labor as compared to normal saline alone.

  7. Evaluation of a needle social marketing strategy to control HIV among injecting drug users in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Zunyou; Luo, Wei; Sullivan, Sheena G; Rou, Keming; Lin, Peng; Liu, Wei; Ming, Zhongqiang

    2007-12-01

    To evaluate the effectiveness of a needle social marketing strategy to reduce needle sharing and hepatitis C Virus (HCV)/HIV transmission among injecting drug users (IDU) in China. Two-armed, prospective, community-randomized prevention trial. Four counties/townships in Guangxi and Guangdong provinces; one randomized to intervention the other to control in each province. Injecting drug users: 823 (443 intervention, 382 control) at baseline and 852 (415 intervention, 407 control) at the second cross-sectional survey 12 months later. A needle social marketing programme, including promotion of safe injection norms and increased access to clean needles over a 12 month period. Cross sectional surveys at baseline and follow-up compared changes in drug using behaviours and HIV and HCV rates in the intervention and control communities. Needle sharing behaviours were similar in the two groups at baseline (68.4 vs. 67.8%), and dropped significantly to 35.3% in the intervention community and remained relatively stable in the control community (62.3%; P marketing can reduce risky injecting behaviour and HIV/HCV transmission among injecting drug users in China and should be expanded.

  8. Hurricane-induced failure of low salinity wetlands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howes, Nick C.; FitzGerald, Duncan M.; Hughes, Zoe J.; Georgiou, Ioannis Y.; Kulp, Mark A.; Miner, Michael D.; Smith, Jane M.; Barras, John A.

    2010-01-01

    During the 2005 hurricane season, the storm surge and wave field associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita eroded 527 km2 of wetlands within the Louisiana coastal plain. Low salinity wetlands were preferentially eroded, while higher salinity wetlands remained robust and largely unchanged. Here we highlight geotechnical differences between the soil profiles of high and low salinity regimes, which are controlled by vegetation and result in differential erosion. In low salinity wetlands, a weak zone (shear strength 500–1450 Pa) was observed ∼30 cm below the marsh surface, coinciding with the base of rooting. High salinity wetlands had no such zone (shear strengths > 4500 Pa) and contained deeper rooting. Storm waves during Hurricane Katrina produced shear stresses between 425–3600 Pa, sufficient to cause widespread erosion of the low salinity wetlands. Vegetation in low salinity marshes is subject to shallower rooting and is susceptible to erosion during large magnitude storms; these conditions may be exacerbated by low inorganic sediment content and high nutrient inputs. The dramatic difference in resiliency of fresh versus more saline marshes suggests that the introduction of freshwater to marshes as part of restoration efforts may therefore weaken existing wetlands rendering them vulnerable to hurricanes. PMID:20660777

  9. 1.5 T augmented reality navigated interventional MRI: paravertebral sympathetic plexus injections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marker, David R; U Thainual, Paweena; Ungi, Tamas; Flammang, Aaron J; Fichtinger, Gabor; Iordachita, Iulian I; Carrino, John A; Fritz, Jan

    2017-01-01

    The high contrast resolution and absent ionizing radiation of interventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be advantageous for paravertebral sympathetic nerve plexus injections. We assessed the feasibility and technical performance of MRI-guided paravertebral sympathetic injections utilizing augmented reality navigation and 1.5 T MRI scanner. A total of 23 bilateral injections of the thoracic (8/23, 35%), lumbar (8/23, 35%), and hypogastric (7/23, 30%) paravertebral sympathetic plexus were prospectively planned in twelve human cadavers using a 1.5 Tesla (T) MRI scanner and augmented reality navigation system. MRI-conditional needles were used. Gadolinium-DTPA-enhanced saline was injected. Outcome variables included the number of control magnetic resonance images, target error of the needle tip, punctures of critical nontarget structures, distribution of the injected fluid, and procedure length. Augmented-reality navigated MRI guidance at 1.5 T provided detailed anatomical visualization for successful targeting of the paravertebral space, needle placement, and perineural paravertebral injections in 46 of 46 targets (100%). A mean of 2 images (range, 1-5 images) were required to control needle placement. Changes of the needle trajectory occurred in 9 of 46 targets (20%) and changes of needle advancement occurred in 6 of 46 targets (13%), which were statistically not related to spinal regions (P = 0.728 and P = 0.86, respectively) and cadaver sizes (P = 0.893 and P = 0.859, respectively). The mean error of the needle tip was 3.9±1.7 mm. There were no punctures of critical nontarget structures. The mean procedure length was 33±12 min. 1.5 T augmented reality-navigated interventional MRI can provide accurate imaging guidance for perineural injections of the thoracic, lumbar, and hypogastric sympathetic plexus.

  10. Injection Process Control of the Well at the Hydrodynamic Research of Coalbed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Odnokopylov, I. G.; Galtseva, O. V.; Krasnov, I. Yu; Smirnov, A. O.; Karpov, M. S.; Surzhikova, O. A.; Kuznetsov, V. V.; Li, J.

    2017-04-01

    This scientific work is devoted to the study results of water injection process into the well at the hydrodynamic research by using the high pressure unregulated pump. The injection process should be accompanied by the retention of some hydraulic parameters at constant level during some time. Various variants for use of mechatronic nodes for automatization of water injection process are considered. Scheme for reducing the load on the pump and equipment in hydraulic system and also for improving the quality control system with high accuracy is shown. Simulation results of injection process into the well at the pressure and consumption fixation and recommendations for the use of the proposed schemes depending on the technological process are given.

  11. Re-injection feasibility study of fracturing flow-back fluid in shale gas mining

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Dingyu; Xue, Chen; Chen, Xinjian; Du, Jiajia; Shi, Shengwei; Qu, Chengtun; Yu, Tao

    2018-02-01

    Fracturing flow-back fluid in shale gas mining is usually treated by re-injecting into formation. After treatment, the fracturing flow-back fluid is injected back into the formation. In order to ensure that it will not cause too much damage to the bottom layer, feasibility evaluations of re-injection of two kinds of fracturing fluid with different salinity were researched. The experimental research of the compatibility of mixed water samples based on the static simulation method was conducted. Through the analysis of ion concentration, the amount of scale buildup and clay swelling rate, the feasibility of re-injection of different fracturing fluid were studied. The result shows that the swelling of the clay expansion rate of treated fracturing fluid is lower than the mixed water of treated fracturing fluid and the distilled water, indicating that in terms of clay expansion rate, the treated fracturing flow-back fluid is better than that of water injection after re-injection. In the compatibility test, the maximum amount of fouling in the Yangzhou oilfield is 12mg/L, and the maximum value of calcium loss rate is 1.47%, indicating that the compatibility is good. For the fracturing fluid with high salinity in the Yanchang oilfield, the maximum amount of scaling is 72mg/L, and the maximum calcium loss rate is 3.50%, indicating that the compatibility is better.

  12. Modeling liver electrical conductivity during hypertonic injection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castellví, Quim; Sánchez-Velázquez, Patricia; Moll, Xavier; Berjano, Enrique; Andaluz, Anna; Burdío, Fernando; Bijnens, Bart; Ivorra, Antoni

    2018-01-01

    Metastases in the liver frequently grow as scattered tumor nodules that neither can be removed by surgical resection nor focally ablated. Previously, we have proposed a novel technique based on irreversible electroporation that may be able to simultaneously treat all nodules in the liver while sparing healthy tissue. The proposed technique requires increasing the electrical conductivity of healthy liver by injecting a hypersaline solution through the portal vein. Aiming to assess the capability of increasing the global conductivity of the liver by means of hypersaline fluids, here, it is presented a mathematical model that estimates the NaCl distribution within the liver and the resulting conductivity change. The model fuses well-established compartmental pharmacokinetic models of the organ with saline injection models used for resuscitation treatments, and it considers changes in sinusoidal blood viscosity because of the hypertonicity of the solution. Here, it is also described a pilot experimental study in pigs in which different volumes of NaCl 20% (from 100 to 200 mL) were injected through the portal vein at different flow rates (from 53 to 171 mL/minute). The in vivo conductivity results fit those obtained by the model, both quantitatively and qualitatively, being able to predict the maximum conductivity with a 14.6% average relative error. The maximum conductivity value was 0.44 second/m, which corresponds to increasing 4 times the mean basal conductivity (0.11 second/m). The results suggest that the presented model is well suited for predicting on liver conductivity changes during hypertonic saline injection. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  13. Direct and indirect controls on organic matter decomposition in four coastal wetland communities along a landscape salinity gradient

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stagg, Camille L.; Baustian, Melissa M.; Perry, Carey L.; Carruthers, Tim J.B.; Hall, Courtney T.

    2018-01-01

    Coastal wetlands store more carbon than most ecosystems globally. As sea level rises, changes in flooding and salinity will potentially impact ecological functions, such as organic matter decomposition, that influence carbon storage. However, little is known about the mechanisms that control organic matter loss in coastal wetlands at the landscape scale. As sea level rises, how will the shift from fresh to salt-tolerant plant communities impact organic matter decomposition? Do long-term, plant-mediated, effects of sea-level rise differ from direct effects of elevated salinity and flooding?We identified internal and external factors that regulated indirect and direct pathways of sea-level rise impacts, respectively, along a landscape-scale salinity gradient that incorporated changes in wetland type (fresh, oligohaline, mesohaline and polyhaline marshes). We found that indirect and direct impacts of sea-level rise had opposing effects on organic matter decomposition.Salinity had an indirect effect on litter decomposition that was mediated through litter quality. Despite significant variation in environmental conditions along the landscape gradient, the best predictors of above- and below-ground litter decomposition were internal drivers, initial litter nitrogen content and initial litter lignin content respectively. Litter decay constants were greatest in the oligohaline marsh and declined with increasing salinity, and the fraction of litter remaining (asymptote) was greatest in the mesohaline marsh. In contrast, direct effects of salinity and flooding were positive. External drivers, salinity and flooding, stimulated cellulytic activity, which was highest in the polyhaline marsh.Synthesis. Our results indicate that as sea level rises, initial direct effects of salinity will stimulate decay of labile carbon, but over time as plant communities shift from fresh to polyhaline marsh, litter decay will decline, yielding greater potential for long-term carbon storage

  14. Testosterone Injection

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... typical male characteristics. Testosterone injection works by supplying synthetic testosterone to replace the testosterone that is normally ... as a pellet to be injected under the skin.Testosterone injection may control your symptoms but will ...

  15. Regional-scale brine migration along vertical pathways due to CO2 injection - Part 2: A simulated case study in the North German Basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kissinger, Alexander; Noack, Vera; Knopf, Stefan; Konrad, Wilfried; Scheer, Dirk; Class, Holger

    2017-06-01

    Saltwater intrusion into potential drinking water aquifers due to the injection of CO2 into deep saline aquifers is one of the hazards associated with the geological storage of CO2. Thus, in a site-specific risk assessment, models for predicting the fate of the displaced brine are required. Practical simulation of brine displacement involves decisions regarding the complexity of the model. The choice of an appropriate level of model complexity depends on multiple criteria: the target variable of interest, the relevant physical processes, the computational demand, the availability of data, and the data uncertainty. In this study, we set up a regional-scale geological model for a realistic (but not real) onshore site in the North German Basin with characteristic geological features for that region. A major aim of this work is to identify the relevant parameters controlling saltwater intrusion in a complex structural setting and to test the applicability of different model simplifications. The model that is used to identify relevant parameters fully couples flow in shallow freshwater aquifers and deep saline aquifers. This model also includes variable-density transport of salt and realistically incorporates surface boundary conditions with groundwater recharge. The complexity of this model is then reduced in several steps, by neglecting physical processes (two-phase flow near the injection well, variable-density flow) and by simplifying the complex geometry of the geological model. The results indicate that the initial salt distribution prior to the injection of CO2 is one of the key parameters controlling shallow aquifer salinization. However, determining the initial salt distribution involves large uncertainties in the regional-scale hydrogeological parameterization and requires complex and computationally demanding models (regional-scale variable-density salt transport). In order to evaluate strategies for minimizing leakage into shallow aquifers, other target

  16. Attack methodology Analysis: SQL Injection Attacks and Their Applicability to Control Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bri Rolston

    2005-09-01

    Database applications have become a core component in control systems and their associated record keeping utilities. Traditional security models attempt to secure systems by isolating core software components and concentrating security efforts against threats specific to those computers or software components. Database security within control systems follows these models by using generally independent systems that rely on one another for proper functionality. The high level of reliance between the two systems creates an expanded threat surface. To understand the scope of a threat surface, all segments of the control system, with an emphasis on entry points, must be examined. The communication link between data and decision layers is the primary attack surface for SQL injection. This paper facilitates understanding what SQL injection is and why it is a significant threat to control system environments.

  17. Control of Surge in Centrifugal Compressor by Using a Nozzle Injection System: Universality in Optimal Position of Injection Nozzle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toshiyuki Hirano

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The passive control method for surge and rotating stall in centrifugal compressors by using a nozzle injection system was proposed to extend the stable operating range to the low flow rate. A part of the flow at the scroll outlet of a compressor was recirculated to an injection nozzle installed on the inner wall of the suction pipe of the compressor through the bypass pipe and injected to the impeller inlet. Two types of compressors were tested at the rotational speeds of 50,000 rpm and 60,000 rpm with the parameter of the circumferential position of the injection nozzle. The present experimental results revealed that the optimum circumferential position, which most effectively reduced the flow rate for the surge inception, existed at the opposite side of the tongue of the scroll against the rotational axis and did not depend on the compressor system and the rotational speeds.

  18. Effect of multi-component ions exchange on low salinity EOR: Coupled geochemical simulation study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ehsan Pouryousefy

    2016-09-01

    Upon combining the simulation and experimental results, we concluded that the multi-component ion exchange is not the sole mechanism behind low salinity effect for two reasons. First, almost 10% additional oil recovery was observed from the experiments by injecting the 2000 ppm CaCl2 compared with 50,000 ppm CaCl2 solutions. Even though in both cases the surface is expected to be fully saturated with Ca2+ according to the geochemical modelling. Second, 6% incremental oil recovery was achieved from the experiments by injecting 2000 ppm NaCl solution compared with that of 50,000 ppm NaCl. Although 25% incremental adsorption of divalent cations (Ca2+ were presented during the flooding of the 2000 ppm NaCl solution. Therefore, it is worth noting that the electrical double layer expansion due to the ion exchange needs to be taken into account to pinpoint the mechanism(s of low-salinity water effect.

  19. Can combined use of low-level lasers and hyaluronic acid injections prolong the longevity of degenerative knee joints?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ip D

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available David Ip, Nga Yue FuAsia Medical Pain Centre, Grand Plaza, Mong Kok, Hong KongBackground: This study evaluated whether half-yearly hyaluronic acid injection together with low-level laser therapy in addition to standard conventional physical therapy can successfully postpone the need for joint replacement surgery in elderly patients with bilateral symptomatic tricompartmental knee arthritis.Methods: In this prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 70 consecutive unselected elderly patients with bilateral tricompartmental knee arthritis were assigned at random to either one of two conservative treatment protocols to either one of the painful knees. Protocol A consisted of conventional physical therapy plus a sham light source plus saline injection, and protocol B consisted of protocol A with addition of half-yearly hyaluronic acid injection as well as low-level laser treatment instead of using saline and a sham light source. Treatment failure was defined as breakthrough pain necessitating joint replacement.Results: Among the 140 painful knees treated with either protocol A or protocol B, only one of the 70 painful knees treated by protocol B required joint replacement, whereas 15 of the 70 painful knees treated by protocol A needed joint replacement surgery (P<0.05.Conclusion: We conclude that half-yearly hyaluronic acid injections together with low-level laser therapy should be incorporated into the standard conservative treatment protocol for symptomatic knee arthritis, because it may prolong the longevity of the knee joint without the need for joint replacement.Keywords: knee osteoarthritis, hyaluronic acid injection, low-level laser, outcome

  20. Epidural steroid injections in the management of a patient with spinal stenosis and urinary urgency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitra, Raj; Huang, Lawrence; Payne, Christopher

    2009-02-01

    A 79-year-old woman with a history of chronic back pain and urinary urgency presented to a spine center for treatment and evaluation for axial low back pain. The patient described the back pain as severe with intermittent radiation into the right leg; her pain intensity was 7 out of 10 on a visual analog scale. She described her sense of urgency as severe, and could delay urination for 10 min or less. She described her bladder control as 6 out of 10 on the urgency perception score (with 0 being perfect control). Physical examination, including manual muscle testing, test for sensation to fine touch, reflex assessment and assessment of gait pattern, and MRI of the lumbar spine. Overactive bladder associated with severe central-canal stenosis at L4-5, in the setting of anterolisthesis. Fluoroscopically guided caudal epidural steroid injection; 60 mg of triamcinolone, 3 ml of 1% lidocaine hydrochloride and 3 ml of normal saline, injected in increments.

  1. Electromagnetically controlled measuring device for measuring injection quantities in a diesel injection pump volumetrically. Elektromagnetisch gesteuerte Messvorrichtung zur volumetrischen Messung von Einspritzmengen einer Dieseleinspritzpumpe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoffmann, K H; Mueller, M; Decker, R; Huber, G

    1990-11-22

    The invention concerns a measuring device for volumetric measurements of injection quantities of a diesel injection pump which injects its contents into a volumetric chamber controlled electromagnetically by a discharge valve and enclosed by a non-impact gas pressure loaded volumetric vessel and effects a retreating movement of the latter. The device is provided with an inductive path controller fitted with a differential pair of coils containing an axially movable ferromagnetic core. The path controller forms a part of a lifter rod connected to the volumetric vessel. It gives an opening signal to the discharge valve after each retreat of the volumetric vessel and a closing signal as soon as a defined height of suspension corresponding to the original position of the volumetric vessel after its return is reached.

  2. Light Control of Insulin Release and Blood Glucose Using an Injectable Photoactivated Depot.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarode, Bhagyesh R; Kover, Karen; Tong, Pei Y; Zhang, Chaoying; Friedman, Simon H

    2016-11-07

    In this work we demonstrate that blood glucose can be controlled remotely through light stimulated release of insulin from an injected cutaneous depot. Human insulin was tethered to an insoluble but injectable polymer via a linker, which was based on the light cleavable di-methoxy nitrophenyl ethyl (DMNPE) group. This material was injected into the skin of streptozotocin-treated diabetic rats. We observed insulin being released into the bloodstream after a 2 min trans-cutaneous irradiation of this site by a compact LED light source. Control animals treated with the same material, but in which light was blocked from the site, showed no release of insulin into the bloodstream. We also demonstrate that additional pulses of light from the light source result in additional pulses of insulin being absorbed into circulation. A significant reduction in blood glucose was then observed. Together, these results demonstrate the feasibility of using light to allow for the continuously variable control of insulin release. This in turn has the potential to allow for the tight control of blood glucose without the invasiveness of insulin pumps and cannulas.

  3. Alteration of glutamate/GABA balance during acute alcohol intoxication in rats: effect of Xingnaojing injection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Jingjing; Yao, Limei; Yang, Lei; Zhao, Wei; Shi, Si; Cai, Qingyan; Chen, Dingsheng; Li, Weirong; Wang, Qi

    2015-05-26

    Xingnaojing Injection (XNJI) is a modern Chinese formula came from famous Chinese medicine An Gong Niu Huang Pill. XNJI has been used for treatment of cerebral diseases and stroke in China, and is approved by the State Food and Drug Administration of China for the treatment of acute alcohol intoxication (AAI). XNJI belongs to the ethnopharmacological family of medicines. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of the XNJI effect on AAI. To investigate the effects of XNJI on glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and related receptor in lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) of AAI rat. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with microdialysis probes in LHA. Rats were randomly divided into control, model, 1.36mg/kg XNJI, 0.68mg/kg XNJI and 0.34mg/kg XNJI groups. During microdialysis, baseline samples were collected from 1h to 2.5h; thereafter, the rats were given an intraperitoneal injection of 52% ethanol, 5.2g/kg, or saline for control group. Twenty minutes later, three doses of XNJI was given by unilateral injection respectively, while saline for control and model groups, and samples were collected for the next 4h. The extracellular glutamate and GABA levels were measured in the LHA by a high performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLU). The expression levels of related receptors N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NR) subunit NR2A, NR2B and GABAA were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Ethanol (5.2g/kg) significantly decreased the extracellular levels of glutamate and increased extracellular GABA in LHA. On the other hand ethanol significantly decreased NR2A and NR2B mRNAs expression, and increase GABAA mRNA expression. XNJI could increase the extracellular level of glutamate and decrease that of GABA; moreover, induced an increase in NR2A and NR2B mRNA expression, and a decrease in GABAA mRNA expression in LHA. The current changes in glutamate, GABA and mRNA expressions of related

  4. Control, data acquisition and analysis for the JET neutral injection test bed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, T.T.C.; Brenan, P.R.; Rodgers, M.E.; Stork, D.; Young, I.D.

    1985-01-01

    The Neutral Injection Test-Bed (NITB) is a major experimental assembly in support of the Neutral Beam Heating Programme for JET. In addition to its prime function of testing the Neutral Injection hardware, the Test Bed serves as the prototype to test the computer control and data acquisition system, which is described in this paper. The software system has been written in a portable, data-driven manner with the aim to adapt it, with only minor modifications to the operation of the first. Neutral Injection Beamline on JET, which will involve operation both synchronous and asynchronous with that of the JET Tokamak

  5. The effect of autologous activated platelet-rich plasma injection on female pattern hair loss: A randomized placebo-controlled study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tawfik, Abeer Attia; Osman, Mai Abdel Raouf

    2018-02-01

    Hair is an essential part of a woman's appearance and attractiveness. This is reflected in the predominantly psychological morbidity that can be associated with female pattern hair loss. Platelet-rich plasma(PRP) has been used in numerous fields of medicine. Recently, PRP has received growing attention as a potential therapeutic tool for hair loss. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of autologous platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of female pattern hair loss. Thirty female patients with female pattern hair loss were randomly assigned to receive autologous PRP injection into a selected area, and another area was injected with normal saline as a placebo. Sessions were performed weekly for a maximum total of four sessions. Patients were followed up 6 months after the end of last session. The outcome was assessed both subjectively and objectively. There was a statistical significant difference between PRP and placebo areas (Phair density and hair thickness as measured by a folliscope. The hair pull test became negative in PRP-injected areas in 25 patients (83%) with average number of three hairs. Global pictures showed a significant improvement in hair volume and quality together with a high overall patient satisfaction in PRP-injected sites, and these results were maintained during the 6-month follow- up. Platelet-rich plasma injections can be regarded as an alternative for the treatment of female pattern hair loss with minimal morbidity and a low cost-to-benefit ratio. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Experimental quadriceps muscle pain impairs knee joint control during walking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriksen, Marius; Alkjaer, Tine; Lund, Hans

    2007-01-01

    Pain is a cardinal symptom in musculoskeletal diseases involving the knee joint, and aberrant movement patterns and motor control strategies are often present in these patients. However, the underlying neuromuscular mechanisms linking pain to movement and motor control are unclear. To investigate...... the functional significance of muscle pain on knee joint control during walking, three-dimensional gait analyses were performed before, during, and after experimentally induced muscle pain by means of intramuscular injections of hypertonic saline (5.8%) into vastus medialis (VM) muscle of 20 healthy subjects....... Isotonic saline (0.9%) was used as control. Surface electromyography (EMG) recordings of VM, vastus lateralis (VL), biceps femoris, and semitendinosus muscles were synchronized with the gait analyses. During experimental muscle pain, the loading response phase peak knee extensor moments were attenuated...

  7. Small-Volume Injections: Evaluation of Volume Administration Deviation From Intended Injection Volumes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muffly, Matthew K; Chen, Michael I; Claure, Rebecca E; Drover, David R; Efron, Bradley; Fitch, William L; Hammer, Gregory B

    2017-10-01

    In the perioperative period, anesthesiologists and postanesthesia care unit (PACU) nurses routinely prepare and administer small-volume IV injections, yet the accuracy of delivered medication volumes in this setting has not been described. In this ex vivo study, we sought to characterize the degree to which small-volume injections (≤0.5 mL) deviated from the intended injection volumes among a group of pediatric anesthesiologists and pediatric postanesthesia care unit (PACU) nurses. We hypothesized that as the intended injection volumes decreased, the deviation from those intended injection volumes would increase. Ten attending pediatric anesthesiologists and 10 pediatric PACU nurses each performed a series of 10 injections into a simulated patient IV setup. Practitioners used separate 1-mL tuberculin syringes with removable 18-gauge needles (Becton-Dickinson & Company, Franklin Lakes, NJ) to aspirate 5 different volumes (0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 mL) of 0.25 mM Lucifer Yellow (LY) fluorescent dye constituted in saline (Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO) from a rubber-stoppered vial. Each participant then injected the specified volume of LY fluorescent dye via a 3-way stopcock into IV tubing with free-flowing 0.9% sodium chloride (10 mL/min). The injected volume of LY fluorescent dye and 0.9% sodium chloride then drained into a collection vial for laboratory analysis. Microplate fluorescence wavelength detection (Infinite M1000; Tecan, Mannedorf, Switzerland) was used to measure the fluorescence of the collected fluid. Administered injection volumes were calculated based on the fluorescence of the collected fluid using a calibration curve of known LY volumes and associated fluorescence.To determine whether deviation of the administered volumes from the intended injection volumes increased at lower injection volumes, we compared the proportional injection volume error (loge [administered volume/intended volume]) for each of the 5 injection volumes using a linear

  8. Control of Polychaetes by Dipping Infected Pearl Oyster on Different Salinity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yani Hadiroseyani

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Dip treatment on pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima was conducted in different concentrations of saline water to eliminate boring polychaetes. Results shows that polychaetes leave the osyters which treated on saline water at 0 ppt, 45 ppt, and 60 ppt as long as 15 minutes each. It also shows that the oysters got high survival rate 7 days after the treatment. Key words : Polychaetes, pearl oyster, dipping, salinity   ABSTRAK Pengendalian polikaeta pengebor dengan menggunakan berbagai konsentrasi larutan garam telah dilakukan pada tiram mutiara (Pinctada maxima. Berdasarkan jumlah polikaeta yang keluar, hasil percobaan ini menunjukkan bahwa perendaman dengan konsentrasi garam 0 ppt. 45 ppt, dan 60 ppt selama 15 menit lebih efektif dibandingkan pada konsentrasi 15 dan 30 ppt. Tingkat kelangsungan hidup tiram mutiara yang diamati 7 hari setelah perendaman dalam larutan garam mencapai 100%. Kata kunci : Polikaeta. tiram mutiara, perendaman. salinitas

  9. Feasibility of ultrasound-guided intraarticular contrast injection for MR arthrography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baek, Soo Jin; Lee, Jong Min; Kang, Duck Sick

    2005-01-01

    To assess the feasibility of ultrasound-guided intraarticular contrast injection using the posterior approach for MR arthrography. Between June 2002 and October 2004, 132 patients (29 female, 103 male: mean age, 33.6 years) underwent ultrasound-guided intraarticular contrast media injection (40 ml saline + 10 ml 2% lidocaine + 0.2 ml gadopentetate dimeglumine + 0.4 ml epinephrine) for MR arthrography. The patients were classified into four groups, viz. the no leakage group, the minor leakage with successful intraarticular injection group, the major leakage with unsuccessful intraarticular injection group, and the injection failure group. The 'no leakage' and 'minor leakage' groups were considered to be technical successes, while the 'major leakage' and 'injection failure' groups were regarded as technical failures. The technical success rate of ultrasound-guided intraarticular contrast injection using the posterior approach for MR Arthrography was 99.2% (131/132 patients) and one patients 0.7% (1/132 patients) was included in the 'major leakage' group. Ultrasound-guided intraarticular contrast injection using the posterior approach for MR arthrography was feasible with a high success rate

  10. The effect of intracerebroventricular injection of L-glutamate on the hypothalamic GnRH content in rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu Qiang; He Haoming

    2001-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the effect of intracerebroventricular injection of L-Glutamate (L-Glu) on hypothalamic gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) content in male rats. Methods: The GnRH content in the supernatant of hypothalamic homogenates was measured by RIA. Results: The mean values of hypothalamic GnRH content in rat were 1.59 +- 0.41, 0.88 +- 0.34, 0.70 +- 0.42 ng/10mg wet tissue 40 min after intracerebroventricular injection of 0.01176, 0.1176, 1.176 μg/20 μl L-Glu respectively, which were significantly lower than those in controls with saline injections (P 3 H-Glu in rat at 40 min the author found that the intake of 3 H-glu by MBH was 1069.82 +- 490.33 cpm/10 mg wet tissues, the highest value among those taken by cerebrum, cerebellum, pituitary, POA and MBH itself. Conclusion: L-Glu probably participates in the regulation of functional activity of GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus

  11. Reduction of exposure of pet staff by computer-aided injection of radiotracers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balduyck, S.; Sarracanie, M.; Trevisan, L.

    2006-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: Positron Emission Tomograph y (PET) is now widely used, and everyday employment of positron emitters have brought new needs for radiation protection. Analysing the dosimetry of PET staff in the course of medical examinations, it was shown that the injection step is the most irradiating part. The necessity to monitor the safety of the patient during the injection of the radiotracer prevents us from reducing exposure time or to insert a complete shielding between the source and the operator. To lower the dose by increasing the distance, we designed a system based on two syringe pumps: one for the tracer and one for saline solution. Both a re remotely controlled by computer. The exposure of staff during the injection step is thus reduced to the five seconds necessary to place the shielded syringe in the pump. The sequence of injection is fully automatic, but all relevant parameters (such as pressure, volume, flow, occlusion detection, etc...) are continuously monitored and the operator can safely interrupt the sequence at any time. A visual, dialogue-based, interface has been designed to provide a convenient full monitoring service even for non-familiar computer users, without lowering the security of the patient. With this computer-aided injection system, the mean dose of exposure to PET staff was divided by eight. Such a system can be used in all radiopharmaceutical injections encountered in nuclear medicine or radiotherapy facilities, by adapting the injection sequence and the number of syringe pumps. (authors)

  12. Measurement of ocean temperature and salinity via microwave radiometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blume, H.-J. C.; Kendall, B. M.; Fedors, J. C.

    1978-01-01

    Sea-surface temperature with an accuracy of 1 C and salinity with an accuracy of 1% were measured with a 1.43 and 2.65 GHz radiometer system after correcting for the influence of cosmic radiation, intervening atmosphere, sea-surface roughness, and antenna beamwidth. The radiometers are a third-generation system using null-balancing and feedback noise injection. Flight measurements from aircraft over bay regions and coastal areas of the Atlantic resulted in contour maps with spatial resolution of 0.5 km.

  13. Evaluating the effect of administrating hypertonic and isotonic saline solutions on clinical improvement, serum electrolyte concentrations and renal function of calves affected by diarrhea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A Hasanpour

    2009-11-01

    This study was conducted on 40 calves under the age of one mouth with 30 calves affected by diarrhea allocated to 3 treatment groups of 10 calves each and the control group consisting of 10 calves. The control group received neither treatment nor any injections. In the first treatment group, only antibiotics were administered without any fluid therapy. In the second treatment group, apart from antibiotic therapy of diarrhea, hypertonic saline solution (7.5% was administered at a dose of 5 ml/kg as slow intravenous infusion alongside oral ORS solution whereas in the third treatment group isotonic saline solution (0.9% was given intravenously according to the formula (Body weight × %Dehydration alongside oral ORS solution. In all groups, clinical examination and blood sampling was undertaken at times 0, 1, 2, 8 and 24 hours following treatment. At time 0, the diarrhea had resulted in clinical and laboratory signs such as a fever, the dehydration, tachycardia, oligopnea, increased packed sell volume, hypernatremia, hyperchloremia, hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia, hypercalcemia, increased serum creatinine and BUN values. Following treatment, fever subsided and the dehydration was corrected and this correction occurred faster in calves which had received hypertonic saline solution. Correction of sodium, potassium, chloride, phosphorus and calsium imbalance occurred faster in patients which were treated by hypertonic solution. Fluid therapy with saline solutions prevented the increase in serum creatinine and BUN values. In conclusion, the administration of hypertonic saline solutions leads to much faster and more reliable clinical improvement and electrolyte imbalance correction in calves affected by diarrhea.

  14. Do laboratory salinity tolerances of freshwater animals correspond with their field salinity?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kefford, Ben J.; Papas, Phil J.; Metzeling, Leon; Nugegoda, Dayanthi

    2004-06-01

    The degree to which laboratory derived measures of salinity tolerance reflect the field distributions of freshwater biota is uncertain. In this paper we compare laboratory-derived acute salinity tolerance (LC{sub 50} values) of freshwater macroinvertebrates (range 5.5-76 mS/cm) and fish (range 2.7-82 mS/cm) from southeastern Australia with the salinity from which they have been collected in the field. Only 4% of the macroinvertebrates were collected at salinity levels substantially higher than their 72-h LC{sub 50} obtained from directly transferring animals from low salinity water to the water they were tested (direct transfer LC{sub 50}). This LC{sub 50} value was correlated with the maximum salinity at which a species had been collected. For common macroinvertebrates, the maximum field salinity was approximated by the direct transfer 72-h LC{sub 50}. For adult freshwater fish, 21% of species were collected at salinities substantially greater than their acute direct transfer LC{sub 50} and there was a weak relationship between these two variables. Although there was a weak correlation between the direct transfer LC{sub 50} of early life stages of freshwater fish and the maximum field salinity, 58% of the field distribution were in higher than their LC{sub 50} values. In contrast, LC{sub 50} determined from experiments that acclimated adult fish to higher salinity (slow acclimation) provided a better indication of the field distribution: with only one fish species (7%) being in conflict with their maximum field salinity and a strong positive relationship between these variables. This study shows that laboratory measures of acute salinity tolerance can reflect the maximum salinity that macroinvertebrate and fish species inhabit and are consistent with some anecdotal observations from other studies. - Acute laboratory salinity tolerances relate to maximum salinity where organisms occur in nature.

  15. Do laboratory salinity tolerances of freshwater animals correspond with their field salinity?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kefford, Ben J.; Papas, Phil J.; Metzeling, Leon; Nugegoda, Dayanthi

    2004-01-01

    The degree to which laboratory derived measures of salinity tolerance reflect the field distributions of freshwater biota is uncertain. In this paper we compare laboratory-derived acute salinity tolerance (LC 50 values) of freshwater macroinvertebrates (range 5.5-76 mS/cm) and fish (range 2.7-82 mS/cm) from southeastern Australia with the salinity from which they have been collected in the field. Only 4% of the macroinvertebrates were collected at salinity levels substantially higher than their 72-h LC 50 obtained from directly transferring animals from low salinity water to the water they were tested (direct transfer LC 50 ). This LC 50 value was correlated with the maximum salinity at which a species had been collected. For common macroinvertebrates, the maximum field salinity was approximated by the direct transfer 72-h LC 50 . For adult freshwater fish, 21% of species were collected at salinities substantially greater than their acute direct transfer LC 50 and there was a weak relationship between these two variables. Although there was a weak correlation between the direct transfer LC 50 of early life stages of freshwater fish and the maximum field salinity, 58% of the field distribution were in higher than their LC 50 values. In contrast, LC 50 determined from experiments that acclimated adult fish to higher salinity (slow acclimation) provided a better indication of the field distribution: with only one fish species (7%) being in conflict with their maximum field salinity and a strong positive relationship between these variables. This study shows that laboratory measures of acute salinity tolerance can reflect the maximum salinity that macroinvertebrate and fish species inhabit and are consistent with some anecdotal observations from other studies. - Acute laboratory salinity tolerances relate to maximum salinity where organisms occur in nature

  16. Different effects of temperature and salinity on permeability reduction by fines migration in Berea sandstone

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rosenbrand, Esther; Kjøller, Claus; Riis, Jacob Fabricius

    2015-01-01

    Hot water injection into geothermal aquifers is considered in order to store energy seasonally. Berea sandstone is often used as a reference formation to study mechanisms that affect permeability in reservoir sandstones. Both heating of the pore fluid and reduction of the pore fluid salinity can...

  17. Assessment of feasible strategies for seasonal underground hydrogen storage in a saline aquifer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sáinz-García, Alvaro; Abarca, Elena; Rubí, Violeta; Grandia, Fidel

    2017-04-01

    Renewable energies are unsteady, which results in temporary mismatches between demand and supply. The conversion of surplus energy to hydrogen and its storage in geological formations is one option to balance this energy gap. This study evaluates the feasibility of seasonal storage of hydrogen produced from wind power in Castilla-León region (northern Spain). A 3D multiphase numerical model is used to test different extraction well configurations during three annual injection-production cycles in a saline aquifer. Results demonstrate that underground hydrogen storage in saline aquifers can be operated with reasonable recovery ratios. A maximum hydrogen recovery ratio of 78%, which represents a global energy efficiency of 30%, has been estimated. Hydrogen upconing emerges as the major risk on saline aquifer storage. However, shallow extraction wells can minimize its effects. Steeply dipping geological structures are key for an efficient hydrogen storage.

  18. Response of stream invertebrates to short-term salinization: A mesocosm approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel; Grantham, Theodore E.; Perrée, Isabelle; Rieradevall, Maria; Céspedes-Sánchez, Raquel; Prat, Narcís

    2012-01-01

    Salinization is a major and growing threat to freshwater ecosystems, yet its effects on aquatic invertebrates have been poorly described at a community-level. Here we use a controlled experimental setting to evaluate short-term stream community responses to salinization, under conditions designed to replicate the duration (72 h) and intensity (up to 5 mS cm −1 ) of salinity pulses common to Mediterranean rivers subjected to mining pollution during runoff events. There was a significant overall effect, but differences between individual treatments and the control were only significant for the highest salinity treatment. The community response to salinization was characterized by a decline in total invertebrate density, taxon richness and diversity, an increase in invertebrate drift and loss of the most sensitive taxa. The findings indicate that short-term salinity increases have a significant impact on the stream invertebrate community, but concentrations of 5 mS cm −1 are needed to produce a significant ecological response. - Highlights: ► Short-term salinization has a significant impact on the aquatic invertebrates. ► A significant short-term ecological response is registered at 5 mS cm −1 . ► Salinization causes a decline in invertebrate density, richness and diversity. ► Biotic quality indices decline with increasing salinity and exposure time. - Short-term salinization in a stream mesocosm caused a significant response in the aquatic invertebrate community and led to declines in biological quality indices.

  19. Dramatic changes in muscle contractile and structural properties after 2 botulinum toxin injections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minamoto, Viviane B; Suzuki, Kentaro P; Bremner, Shannon N; Lieber, Richard L; Ward, Samuel R

    2015-10-01

    Botulinum toxin is frequently administered serially to maintain therapeutic muscle paralysis, but the effect of repeated doses on muscle function are largely unknown. This study characterized the muscle response to 2 onabotulinum toxin (BoNT) injections separated by 3 months. Animal subjects received a single toxin injection (n = 8), 2 BoNT injections separated by 3 months (n = 14), or 1 BoNT and 1 saline injection separated by 3 months (n = 8). The functional effect of 2 serial injections was exponentially greater than the effect of a single injection. While both groups treated with a single BoNT injection had decreased torque in the injected leg by approximately 50% relative to contralateral legs, the double BoNT injected group had decreased torque by over 95% relative to the preinjection level. Both single and double BoNT injections produced clear signs of fiber-type grouping. These experiments demonstrate a disproportionately greater effect of repeated BoNT injections. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Impact of Variable-Density Flow on the Value-of-Information from Pressure and Concentration Data for Saline Aquifer Characterization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, S.; Williams, J. R.; Juanes, R.; Kang, P. K.

    2017-12-01

    Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is becoming an important solution for ensuring sustainable water resources and mitigating saline water intrusion in coastal aquifers. Accurate estimates of hydrogeological parameters in subsurface flow and solute transport models are critical for making predictions and managing aquifer systems. In the presence of a density difference between the injected freshwater and ambient saline groundwater, the pressure field is coupled to the spatial distribution of salinity distribution, and therefore experiences transient changes. The variable-density effects can be quantified by a mixed convection ratio between two characteristic types of convection: free convection due to density contrast, and forced convection due to a hydraulic gradient. We analyze the variable-density effects on the value-of-information of pressure and concentration data for saline aquifer characterization. An ensemble Kalman filter is used to estimate permeability fields by assimilating the data, and the performance of the estimation is analyzed in terms of the accuracy and the uncertainty of estimated permeability fields and the predictability of arrival times of breakthrough curves in a realistic push-pull setting. This study demonstrates that: 1. Injecting fluids with the velocity that balances the two characteristic convections maximizes the value of data for saline aquifer characterization; 2. The variable-density effects on the value of data for the inverse estimation decrease as the permeability heterogeneity increases; 3. The advantage of joint inversion of pressure and concentration data decreases as the coupling effects between flow and transport increase.

  1. Electrokinetically controlled fluid injection into unicellular microalgae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Xuewen; Zhang, Xixi; Boualavong, Jonathan; Durney, Andrew R; Wang, Tonghui; Kirschner, Scott; Wentz, Michaela; Mukaibo, Hitomi

    2017-10-01

    Electrokinetically controlled microinjection is reported as an effective transport mechanism for microinjection into the wild-type strain of the widely studied model microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. A microinjection system using glass capillary pipettes was developed to capture and impale the motile cells. To apply an electric field and induce electrokinetic flow (e.g., electrophoresis and electroosmosis), an electrode was inserted directly into the solution inside the impaling injection pipette and another electrode was inserted into the external cell media. The viability of the impaled cells was confirmed for more than an hour under 0.01 V using the fluorescein diacetate/propidium iodide dual fluorescent dye based assay. The viability was also found to increase almost logarithmically with decreasing voltage and to depend strongly on the solution within the injection pipette. Successful electrokinetic microinjection into cells was confirmed by both an increase in cell volume under an applied voltage and electric field dependent delivery of fluorescent fluorescein molecules into an impaled cell. Our study offers novel opportunities for quantitative delivery of biomolecules into microalgae and advancing the research and development of these organisms as biosynthetic factories. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Endocardial botulinum toxin injection into ganglionated plexi in order to reduce atrial fibrillation inducibility

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    А. Г. Стрельников

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. Prior animal studies suggest that botulinum toxin injection into the epicardial fat pads can suppress atrial fibrillation (AF inducibility. The purpose of the present study was to assess the efficacy and safety of endocardial botulinum toxin injection into epicardial fat pads and intramyocardial left atrial ganglionated plexi (GP for preventing AF.Methods. Twenty-four dogs were separated into 3 groups: endocardial approach for botulinum toxin (Xeomin, Germany injection into epicardial fat pads and intramyocardial GPs; endocardial approach for placebo injection (0.9% normal saline; control 1; n = 8 and epicardial approach for botulinum toxin injection (control 2; n = 8.Results. A mean of 6.9±1.7 intramyocardial injections (10 U/0.2 mL at each and 3 injections (50 U/1 mL at each were administered into each site exhibiting a positive vagal response and into each epicardial fat pad in all groups (p>0.05 between groups.The injections of botulinum toxin demonstrated dramatic prolongation of ERP in all PV-atrial junctions. This effect correlated with less pronounced ERP shortening in response to vagal nerve stimulation. Suppression of AF inducibility was observed at 7 days after endocardial botulinum toxin injections. The level of AF inducibility was: at 7 days – 57% (p<0.001 vs placebo; p<0.001 vs baseline; at 14 days – 61% (p<0.001 vs placebo; p<0.001 vs baseline; at 1 month – 38% (p<0.001 vs placebo; p<0.001 vs baseline; at 3 months – 23% (p = 0.003; p = 0.06 vs baseline. There were no differences between botulinum groups (p>0.05 for all. The effect of AF suppression disappeared at 3 months. No procedure-related complications occurred.Conclusion. Botulinum toxin injection into intramyocardial GPs and epicardial fat pads by an endocardial approach is feasible and safe. It provides complete removal of cardiac vagal responses and reliably reduces vulnerability to atrial fibrillation.

  3. Predicting, monitoring and controlling geomechanical effects of CO2 injection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Streit, J.E.; Siggins, A.F.

    2005-01-01

    A key objective of geological carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) storage in porous rock is long-term subsurface containment of CO 2 . Fault stability and maximum sustainable pore-fluid pressures should be estimated in geomechanical studies in order to avoid damage to reservoir seals and fault seals of storage sites during CO 2 injection. Such analyses rely on predicting the evolution of effective stresses in rocks and faults during CO 2 injection. However, geomechanical analyses frequently do not incorporate poroelastic behaviour of reservoir rock, as relevant poroelastic properties are rarely known. The knowledge of rock poroelastic properties would allow the use of seismic methods for the accurate measurement of the effective stress evolution during CO 2 injection. This paper discussed key geomechanical effects of CO 2 injection into porous rock, and in particular, focused on the effects that the poroelasticity of reservoir rocks and pore pressure/stress coupling have on effective stresses. Relevant geophysical monitoring techniques were also suggested. The paper also outlined how these techniques could be applied to measure stress changes related to poroelastic rock behaviour during CO 2 injection and to test the predictions of sustainable changes in effective stress in CO 2 storage sites. It was concluded that a combination of predictive geomechanical techniques and application of geophysical monitoring techniques is a valid new concept for controlling and monitoring the geomechanical effects of CO 2 storage. 36 refs., 5 figs

  4. A concealed observational study of infection control and safe injection practices in Jordanian governmental hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Rawajfah, Omar M; Tubaishat, Ahmad

    2017-10-01

    The recognized international organizations on infection prevention recommend using an observational method as the gold standard procedure for assessing health care professional's compliance with standard infection control practices. However, observational studies are rarely used in Jordanian infection control studies. This study aimed to evaluate injection practices among nurses working in Jordanian governmental hospitals. A cross-sectional concealed observational design is used for this study. A convenience sampling technique was used to recruit a sample of nurses working in governmental hospitals in Jordan. Participants were unaware of the time and observer during the observation episode. A total of 384 nurses from 9 different hospitals participated in the study. A total of 835 injections events were observed, of which 73.9% were performed without handwashing, 64.5% without gloving, and 27.5% were followed by needle recapping. Handwashing rate was the lowest (18.9%) when injections were performed by beginner nurses. Subcutaneous injections were associated with the lowest rate (26.7%) of postinjection handwashing compared with other routes. This study demonstrates the need for focused and effective infection control educational programs in Jordanian hospitals. Future studies should consider exploring the whole infection control practices related to waste disposal and the roles of the infection control nurse in this process in Jordanian hospitals. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Alkaline sorbent injection for mercury control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madden, Deborah A.; Holmes, Michael J.

    2002-01-01

    A mercury removal system for removing mercury from combustion flue gases is provided in which alkaline sorbents at generally extremely low stoichiometric molar ratios of alkaline earth or an alkali metal to sulfur of less than 1.0 are injected into a power plant system at one or more locations to remove at least between about 40% and 60% of the mercury content from combustion flue gases. Small amounts of alkaline sorbents are injected into the flue gas stream at a relatively low rate. A particulate filter is used to remove mercury-containing particles downstream of each injection point used in the power plant system.

  6. IGF-I and branchial IGF receptor expression and localization during salinity acclimation in striped bass

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tipsmark, Christian Kølbaek; Luckenbach, John Adam; Madsen, Steffen

    2007-01-01

    The initial response of the IGF-I system and the expression and cellular localization of IGF type-I receptor (IGF-IR) were studied in the gill of a euryhaline teleost during salinity acclimation. Exposure of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) to hyperosmotic and hypoosmotic challenges induced small...... in either plasma IGF-I, liver, or gill IGF-I mRNA, or gill IGF-IR mRNA levels. In a separate experiment, FW-acclimated fish were injected with saline or IGF-I prior to a 24-h SW challenge. Rapid regain of osmotic balance following SW transfer was hindered by IGF-I. Immunohistochemistry revealed...

  7. A broadband helical saline water liquid antenna for wearable systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Gaosheng; Huang, Yi; Gao, Gui; Yang, Cheng; Lu, Zhonghao; Liu, Wei

    2018-04-01

    A broadband helical liquid antenna made of saline water is proposed. A transparent hollow support is employed to fabricate the antenna. The rotation structure is fabricated with a thin flexible tube. The saline water with a concentration of 3.5% can be injected into or be extracted out from the tube to change the quantity of the solution. Thus, the tunability of the radiation pattern could be realised by applying the fluidity of the liquid. The radiation feature of the liquid antenna is compared with that of a metal one, and fairly good agreement has been achieved. Furthermore, three statements of the radiation performance corresponding to the ratio of the diameter to the wavelength of the helical saline water antenna have been proposed. It has been found that the resonance frequency increases when the length of the feeding probe or the radius of the vertical part of the liquid decreases. The fractional bandwidth can reach over 20% with a total height of 185 mm at 1.80 GHz. The measured results indicate reasonable approximation to the simulated. The characteristics of the liquid antenna make it a good candidate for various wireless applications, especially the wearable systems.

  8. Can saline be an alternative to aesthetic surgery in extended breast quadrantectomy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hadi, Maha S.A. Abdel

    2007-01-01

    Objective was to explore other simpler options sparing the patients the morbidity and cost in extended breast quadrantectomy. This prospective was undertaken at King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia between 1999-2005. Factors considered for patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery were based on age, tumor size, pathological characteristics, and patient's preference. Frozen section was adopted in all procedures to insure negative margins. After extended quadrantectomy, 200-400 cc was injected into the cavity to retain breast contour. Magnetic resonance imaging was used for postoperative assessment. Twenty-four patients were included, aged 28-43 years and tumor size 3-5 cms. All margins were negative on frozen section. The contour of the breast was restored with saline, MRI was employed for follow up at the immediate post operative period and at 4-6 months, it demonstrated restored breast contour and the saline filled cavity replaced by lipo-fibrous tissue. Follow up after 4-24 months showed that all patients noticed some degree of asymmetry, yet were satisfied with the result, none required or requested additional surgery. In large issue excision injecting saline into cavities temporarily prevents the caving in of the redundant skin, which has the tendency to permanently adhere to the fascia thereby preventing gross deformities. It has proven effective, contour storing and scored high satisfaction among patients. It certainly does not replace cosmetic breast surgery, however, it should be considered in centers were once-plastic surgery is not readily available. (author)

  9. Aminocaproic Acid Injection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aminocaproic acid injection is used to control bleeding that occurs when blood clots are broken down too quickly. This ... the baby is ready to be born). Aminocaproic acid injection is also used to control bleeding in ...

  10. Improved statistical method for temperature and salinity quality control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gourrion, Jérôme; Szekely, Tanguy

    2017-04-01

    Climate research and Ocean monitoring benefit from the continuous development of global in-situ hydrographic networks in the last decades. Apart from the increasing volume of observations available on a large range of temporal and spatial scales, a critical aspect concerns the ability to constantly improve the quality of the datasets. In the context of the Coriolis Dataset for ReAnalysis (CORA) version 4.2, a new quality control method based on a local comparison to historical extreme values ever observed is developed, implemented and validated. Temperature, salinity and potential density validity intervals are directly estimated from minimum and maximum values from an historical reference dataset, rather than from traditional mean and standard deviation estimates. Such an approach avoids strong statistical assumptions on the data distributions such as unimodality, absence of skewness and spatially homogeneous kurtosis. As a new feature, it also allows addressing simultaneously the two main objectives of an automatic quality control strategy, i.e. maximizing the number of good detections while minimizing the number of false alarms. The reference dataset is presently built from the fusion of 1) all ARGO profiles up to late 2015, 2) 3 historical CTD datasets and 3) the Sea Mammals CTD profiles from the MEOP database. All datasets are extensively and manually quality controlled. In this communication, the latest method validation results are also presented. The method has already been implemented in the latest version of the delayed-time CMEMS in-situ dataset and will be deployed soon in the equivalent near-real time products.

  11. Absolute Salinity, ''Density Salinity'' and the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale: present and future use in the seawater standard TEOS-10

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, D. G.; Pawlowicz, R.; McDougall, T. J.; Feistel, R.; Marion, G. M.

    2011-01-01

    Salinity plays a key role in the determination of the thermodynamic properties of seawater and the new TEOS-101 standard provides a consistent and effective approach to dealing with relationships between salinity and these thermodynamic properties. However, there are a number of practical issues that arise in the application of TEOS-10, both in terms of accuracy and scope, including its use in the reduction of field data and in numerical models. First, in the TEOS-10 formulation for IAPSO Standard Seawater, the Gibbs function takes the Reference Salinity as its salinity argument, denoted SR, which provides a measure of the mass fraction of dissolved material in solution based on the Reference Composition approximation for Standard Seawater. We discuss uncertainties in both the Reference Composition and the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale on which Reference Salinity is reported. The Reference Composition provides a much-needed fixed benchmark but modified reference states will inevitably be required to improve the representation of Standard Seawater for some studies. However, the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale should remain unaltered to provide a stable representation of salinity for use with the TEOS-10 Gibbs function and in climate change detection studies. Second, when composition anomalies are present in seawater, no single salinity variable can fully represent the influence of dissolved material on the thermodynamic properties of seawater. We consider three distinct representations of salinity that have been used in previous studies and discuss the connections and distinctions between them. One of these variables provides the most accurate representation of density possible as well as improvements over Reference Salinity for the determination of other thermodynamic properties. It is referred to as "Density Salinity" and is represented by the symbol SAdens; it stands out as the most appropriate representation of salinity for use in dynamical physical

  12. Absolute Salinity, "Density Salinity" and the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale: present and future use in the seawater standard TEOS-10

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, D. G.; Pawlowicz, R.; McDougall, T. J.; Feistel, R.; Marion, G. M.

    2010-08-01

    Salinity plays a key role in the determination of the thermodynamic properties of seawater and the new TEOS-101 standard provides a consistent and effective approach to dealing with relationships between salinity and these thermodynamic properties. However, there are a number of practical issues that arise in the application of TEOS-10, both in terms of accuracy and scope, including its use in the reduction of field data and in numerical models. First, in the TEOS-10 formulation for IAPSO Standard Seawater, the Gibbs function takes the Reference Salinity as its salinity argument, denoted SR, which provides a measure of the mass fraction of dissolved material in solution based on the Reference Composition approximation for Standard Seawater. We discuss uncertainties in both the Reference Composition and the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale on which Reference Salinity is reported. The Reference Composition provides a much-needed fixed benchmark but modified reference states will inevitably be required to improve the representation of Standard Seawater for some studies. The Reference-Composition Salinity Scale should remain unaltered to provide a stable representation of salinity for use with the TEOS-10 Gibbs function and in climate change detection studies. Second, when composition anomalies are present in seawater, no single salinity variable can fully represent the influence of dissolved material on the thermodynamic properties of seawater. We consider three distinct representations of salinity that have been used in previous studies and discuss the connections and distinctions between them. One of these variables provides the most accurate representation of density possible as well as improvements over Reference Salinity for the determination of other thermodynamic properties. It is referred to as "Density Salinity" and is represented by the symbol SAdens; it stands out as the most appropriate representation of salinity for use in dynamical physical

  13. Study on a Novel Gelled Foam for Conformance Control in High Temperature and High Salinity Reservoirs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tong Li

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available A novel gelled foam for conformance control was investigated for its ability to enhance oil recovery (EOR in high temperature and high salinity reservoirs. The formulation optimization, foaming performance, and core flooding performance of the gelled foam were systematically evaluated under harsh reservoir conditions. The gelled foam formulation was optimized with 0.4% polymer (hydrolyzed polyacrylamide; HPAM, 0.06% cross-linker (phenolic and 0.2% foaming agent (sulphobetaine; SB. The addition of the gel improved the stability of the foam system by 3.8 times that of traditional foam. A stabilization mechanism in the gelled foam was proposed to describe the stabilization process of the foam film. The uniformly distributed three-dimensional network structure of the gel provided a thick protective layer for the foam system that maintained the stability of the foam and improved the strength and thickness of the liquid film. The gelled foam exhibited good formation adaptability, profile control, and EOR performance. The foam flowed into the high permeability layer, plugged the dominant channel, and increased the swept volume. Oil recovery was enhanced by 29.4% under harsh high -temperature and high salinity conditions.

  14. Effect of Vetiver Grass on Reduction of Soil Salinity and Some Minerals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masoud Noshadi

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Soil salinity is one of the major limitations of agriculture in the warm and dry regions. Soil sodification also damages soil structure and reduce soil permeability. Therefore, control of soil salinity and sodium is very important. Vetiver grass has unique characteristics that can be useful in phytoremediation. Materials and Methods: This research was conducted to investigate the effects of irrigation with different salinities on vetiver grass and the effects of this plant on the control of soil salinity and soil reclamation.The experimental design was randomized complete block design. Irrigation water salinities were 0.68(blank, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 dS/m, respectively, which artificially were constructed using sodium chloride and calcium chloride. At first, vetiver was transplanted and then moved to the farm. The amount of soil moisture was measured by the neutron probe. Irrigation depth was applied to refill soil water deficit up to field capacity. To evaluate the soil salinity in above salinity treatments, soil was sampled in each plot from 0-30, 30-60 and 60-90 cm depths and for each layer, electrical conductivity of saturated extract (ECe, sodium, potassium and chloride concentrations was measured .To measure the sodium, potassium and chloride concentrations in the leaves and roots of vetiver plant, samples were dried in oven. The dried samples were powdered and passed through the sieve (No. 200 and they were reduced to ash in 250 ◦C. 5 ml HCl was added to one gram of the ash, and after passing through filter paper, the volume of sample was brought to 50 ml by boiled distilled water. After preparing plant samples, the sodium, potassium and chloride concentrations were measured by Flame Photometer. Reults and discussion: The results showed that the vetiver grass was able to decrease soil salinity at different salinity levels except highest water salinity (10 dS/m and prevented salt accumulation in the soil. However, in the

  15. Multislice CT of the liver. Effects of contrast material pushed with saline solution on hepatic enhancement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sekiguchi, Ryuzo; Hayashi, Takayuki; Tsukamoto, Tatsuaki; Kuroki, Yoshinori; Nasu, Katsuhiro; Murakami, Koji; Nawano, Shigeru

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a method of power injection of contrast material pushed with saline solution for hepatic multislice CT using a dual-head power injector. One hundred twenty-one patients who underwent multislice CT to detect liver metastases were divided into two groups, depending on the protocol of contrast material administration: 100 mL of non-ionic contrast material (370 mgI/mL) or 100 mL of the same contrast material pushed with 30 mL of saline solution. Both contrast material and saline solution were administered at a rate of 2.5 mL/sec using a dual-head power injector. Attenuation values for the two protocols were obtained from the liver, portal vein, and descending aorta. Hepatic enhancement above 50 Hounsfield unit (HU), which is needed for the diagnosis of liver metastases, was achieved in 76.5% of patients given 100 mL of contrast material and 92.5% of those given 100 mL of contrast material pushed with a 30 mL saline solution. In contingency-table analysis, the CT attenuation value of liver categorized as less than 50 HU or more than 50 HU, showed a good relation between the categorized group and the protocol (p=0.0437). In patients with a body weight of 50 kg or more, 100 mL of contrast material pushed with saline solution provided significantly better CT attenuation values in the liver (p=0.0113), portal vein (p=0.0094), and descending aorta (p=0.0394) than those provided by the injection of 100 mL of contrast material alone. When contrast material pushed with saline solution was used, CT attenuation values in the liver were significantly increased, especially in patients with a body weight of 50 kg or more. This technique will provide a decrease in the volume of contrast material administered and a potential decrease in the side effects of contrast material. (author)

  16. Acceleration of Medpor implant fibrovascularization with local vascular endothelial growth-factor injections: An experimental study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mert Demirel

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Medpor is a biocompatible, high-density porous polyethylene implant that is used for multiple indications in plastic surgery. The most frequent complications associated with the Medpor implant are infection and implant exposure. The primary cause of these complications is poor fibrovascularization of the Medpor implant and poor nourishment of the overlying skin. The present experimental study aimed to determine whether vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF could accelerate and increase Medpor implant fibrovascularization in vivo, and thereby improve local nourishment and prevent complications. Materials and Methods: The Medpor implant was inserted under the dorsal skin area in 40 Sprague-Dawley rats. 20 rats receiving local VEGF injections comprised the study group. The control group received saline injections. Fibrovascularization of the Medpor implants was compared. Results: In the rats injected with VEGF, the Medpor implant fibrovascularized faster, and there were more newly formed blood vessels, as compared with those in the control group. Conclusion: These findings have led to our use of VEGF-like agents that the accelerate angiogenesis in the Medpor implant as a means to reduce the incidence of such complications as infection and implant exposure. [Arch Clin Exp Surg 2015; 4(4.000: 196-201

  17. Efficacy and safety of corticosteroid injections and other injections for management of tendinopathy: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coombes, Brooke K; Bisset, Leanne; Vicenzino, Bill

    2010-11-20

    Few evidence-based treatment guidelines for tendinopathy exist. We undertook a systematic review of randomised trials to establish clinical efficacy and risk of adverse events for treatment by injection. We searched eight databases without language, publication, or date restrictions. We included randomised trials assessing efficacy of one or more peritendinous injections with placebo or non-surgical interventions for tendinopathy, scoring more than 50% on the modified physiotherapy evidence database scale. We undertook meta-analyses with a random-effects model, and estimated relative risk and standardised mean differences (SMDs). The primary outcome of clinical efficacy was protocol-defined pain score in the short term (4 weeks, range 0-12), intermediate term (26 weeks, 13-26), or long term (52 weeks, ≥52). Adverse events were also reported. 3824 trials were identified and 41 met inclusion criteria, providing data for 2672 participants. We showed consistent findings between many high-quality randomised controlled trials that corticosteroid injections reduced pain in the short term compared with other interventions, but this effect was reversed at intermediate and long terms. For example, in pooled analysis of treatment for lateral epicondylalgia, corticosteroid injection had a large effect (defined as SMD>0·8) on reduction of pain compared with no intervention in the short term (SMD 1·44, 95% CI 1·17-1·71, ptendon rupture). By comparison with placebo, reductions in pain were reported after injections of sodium hyaluronate (short [3·91, 3·54-4·28, peffective than was eccentric exercise. Despite the effectiveness of corticosteroid injections in the short term, non-corticosteroid injections might be of benefit for long-term treatment of lateral epicondylalgia. However, response to injection should not be generalised because of variation in effect between sites of tendinopathy. None. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Experimental Study of Low Speed Sensorless Control of PMSM Drive Using High Frequency Signal Injection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jyoti Agrawal

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Conventional techniques for sensorless control of permanent magnet synchronous motor drive (PMSM, which requires information on rotor position, are reviewed, and recent developments in this area are introduced in this paper along with their inherent advantages and drawbacks. The paper presents an improved method for sensorless speed control of PMSM drive with emphasis placed on signal injection method. This signal injection method examines the control performance of sensorless PMSM drive by injecting signal externally and thereby sensing the rotor position. The main objective of this drive system is to have speed control at standstill and low speed regions. Several tests are carried out to demonstrate the ability of proposed models at different operating conditions with the help of simulation results in Matlab/Simulink environment. Simulation results confirm that the proposed sensorless control approach of PMSM can achieve high performance at standstill and low speeds but not at very high speeds. An experimental setup is implemented using a 1HP surface mounted (SM PMSM and DsPICDEM^TM MCHV-2 development board, to check the validity of simulation results.

  19. Automated injection of a radioactive sample for preparative HPLC with feedback control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iwata, Ren; Yamazaki, Shigeki

    1990-01-01

    The injection of a radioactive reaction mixture into a preparative HPLC column has been automated with computer control for rapid purification of routinely prepared positron emitting radiopharmaceuticals. Using pneumatic valves, a motor-driven pump and a liquid level sensor, two intelligent injection methods for the automation were compared with regard to efficient and rapid sample loading into a 2 mL loop of the 6-way valve. One, a precise but rather slow method, was demonstrated to be suitable for purification of 18 F-radiopharmaceuticals, while the other, due to its rapid operation, was more suitable for 11 C-radiopharmaceuticals. A sample volume of approx 0.5 mL can be injected onto a preparative HPLC column with over 90% efficiency with the present automated system. (author)

  20. Conservative therapy for lumbar intervertebral disc hernia. Intradiscal compressive injection and MRI findings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Tohru; Nanba, Hiromichi; Kasai, Tsutomu; Ohta, Susumu

    1996-01-01

    To herniating intervertebral discs, 3-20 ml physiological saline was pressurized and injected. To avoid excessive force, the injection pressure was set at less than 3 kg/cm 2 . Between January 1993 and December 1994, 380 cases were studied (286 men and 94 women with a mean age of 45.5 years). After the compressive injection there were 259 (68.2%) effective cases in which symptoms were relieved and 121 ineffective cases (31.8%). The proportion of effective cases was higher in women than in men and in older than in younger patients. After intradiscal pressurized injection, the effective cases were investigated with MRI and a tendency to relatively early shrinkage of herniated mass was noted. (author)

  1. Conservative therapy for lumbar intervertebral disc hernia. Intradiscal compressive injection and MRI findings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoshida, Tohru; Nanba, Hiromichi; Kasai, Tsutomu; Ohta, Susumu [Yoshida Orthopaedic Hospital, Toyota, Aichi (Japan)

    1996-01-01

    To herniating intervertebral discs, 3-20 ml physiological saline was pressurized and injected. To avoid excessive force, the injection pressure was set at less than 3 kg/cm{sup 2}. Between January 1993 and December 1994, 380 cases were studied (286 men and 94 women with a mean age of 45.5 years). After the compressive injection there were 259 (68.2%) effective cases in which symptoms were relieved and 121 ineffective cases (31.8%). The proportion of effective cases was higher in women than in men and in older than in younger patients. After intradiscal pressurized injection, the effective cases were investigated with MRI and a tendency to relatively early shrinkage of herniated mass was noted. (author).

  2. Bulk and Surface Aqueous Speciation of Calcite: Implications for Low-Salinity Waterflooding of Carbonate Reservoirs

    KAUST Repository

    Yutkin, Maxim P.

    2017-08-25

    Low-salinity waterflooding (LSW) is ineffective when reservoir rock is strongly water-wet or when crude oil is not asphaltenic. Success of LSW relies heavily on the ability of injected brine to alter surface chemistry of reservoir crude-oil brine/rock (COBR) interfaces. Implementation of LSW in carbonate reservoirs is especially challenging because of high reservoir-brine salinity and, more importantly, because of high reactivity of the rock minerals. Both features complicate understanding of the COBR surface chemistries pertinent to successful LSW. Here, we tackle the complex physicochemical processes in chemically active carbonates flooded with diluted brine that is saturated with atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and possibly supplemented with additional ionic species, such as sulfates or phosphates. When waterflooding carbonate reservoirs, rock equilibrates with the injected brine over short distances. Injected-brine ion speciation is shifted substantially in the presence of reactive carbonate rock. Our new calculations demonstrate that rock-equilibrated aqueous pH is slightly alkaline quite independent of injected-brine pH. We establish, for the first time, that CO2 content of a carbonate reservoir, originating from CO2-rich crude oil and gas, plays a dominant role in setting aqueous pH and rock-surface speciation. A simple ion-complexing model predicts the calcite-surface charge as a function of composition of reservoir brine. The surface charge of calcite may be positive or negative, depending on speciation of reservoir brine in contact with the calcite. There is no single point of zero charge; all dissolved aqueous species are charge determining. Rock-equilibrated aqueous composition controls the calcite-surface ion-exchange behavior, not the injected-brine composition. At high ionic strength, the electrical double layer collapses and is no longer diffuse. All surface charges are located directly in the inner and outer Helmholtz planes. Our evaluation of

  3. Effectiveness of Nitrous Oxide as a Liquid Injection Thrust Vector Control Fluid, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Nitrous Oxide is proposed as an energetic liquid injection thrust vector control fluid for vehicle attitude control during dynamic vehicle maneuvers. Pulled from the...

  4. Optimizing insulin injection technique and its effect on blood glucose control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giorgio Grassi, MD

    2014-12-01

    Conclusions: Targeted individualized training in IT, including the switch to a 4 mm needle, is associated with improved glucose control, greater satisfaction with therapy, better and simpler injection practices and possibly lower consumption of insulin after only a three month period.

  5. Apparatus and method for controlling the secondary injection of fuel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Scott M.; Cai, Weidong; Harris, Jr., Arthur J.

    2013-03-05

    A combustor (28) for a gas turbine engine is provided comprising a primary combustion chamber (30) for combusting a first fuel to form a combustion flow stream (50) and a transition piece (32) located downstream from the primary combustion chamber (30). The transition piece (32) comprises a plurality of injectors (66) located around a circumference of the transition piece (32) for injecting a second fuel into the combustion flow stream (50). The injectors (66) are effective to create a radial temperature profile (74) at an exit (58) of the transition piece (32) having a reduced coefficient of variation relative to a radial temperature profile (64) at an inlet (54) of the transition piece (32). Methods for controlling the temperature profile of a secondary injection are also provided.

  6. Minimum-Voltage Vector Injection Method for Sensorless Control of PMSM for Low-Speed Operations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xie, Ge; Lu, Kaiyuan; Kumar, Dwivedi Sanjeet

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, a simple signal injection method is proposed for sensorless control of PMSM at low speed, which ideally requires one voltage vector only for position estimation. The proposed method is easy to implement resulting in low computation burden. No filters are needed for extracting...... may also be further developed to inject two opposite voltage vectors to reduce the effects of inverter voltage error on the position estimation accuracy. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by comparing with other sensorless control method. Theoretical analysis and experimental...

  7. Liposomal Bupivacaine for Pain Control After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Prospective, Double-Blinded, Randomized, Positive-Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Premkumar, Ajay; Samady, Heather; Slone, Harris; Hash, Regina; Karas, Spero; Xerogeanes, John

    2016-07-01

    Local anesthetics are commonly administered into surgical sites as a part of multimodal pain control regimens. Liposomal bupivacaine is a novel formulation of bupivacaine designed for slow diffusion of a single dose of local anesthetic over a 72-hour period. While early results are promising in various settings, no studies have compared pain management regimens containing liposomal bupivacaine to traditional regimens in patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. To evaluate liposomal bupivacaine in comparison with 0.25% bupivacaine hydrochloride (HCl) for pain control after ACL reconstruction. Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. A total of 32 adult patients undergoing primary ACL reconstruction with a soft tissue quadriceps tendon autograft between July 2014 and March 2015 were enrolled. All patients received a femoral nerve block immediately before surgery. Patients then received either a 40-mL suspension of 20 mL Exparel (1 vial of bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) and 20 mL 0.9% injectable saline or 20 mL 0.5% bupivacaine HCl and 20 mL 0.9% injectable saline, which was administered into the graft harvest site and portal sites during surgery. Patients were given either a postoperative smartphone application or paper-based journal to record data for 1 week after ACL reconstruction. Of the 32 patients recruited, 29 patients were analyzed (90.6%). Two patients were lost to follow-up, and 1 was excluded because of a postoperative hematoma. There were no statistically significant differences in postoperative pain, medication use, pain location, recovery room time, or mobility between the 2 study groups. There were comparable outcomes with 0.25% bupivacaine HCl at a 200-fold lower cost than liposomal bupivacaine. This study does not support the widespread use of liposomal bupivacaine for pain control after ACL reconstruction in the setting of a femoral nerve block. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02189317. © 2016 The Author(s).

  8. What is the best contrast injection protocol for 64-row multi-detector cardiac computed tomography?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Jinguo; Lv Bin; Chen Xiongbiao; Tang Xiang; Jiang Shiliang; Dai Ruping

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To determine the optimal contrast injection protocol for 64-MDCT coronary angiography. Materials and methods: One hundred and fifty consecutive patients scheduled to undergo retrospectively electrocardiographically gated 64-MDCT. Each 30 patients were assigned to use a different contrast protocol: group 1: uniphasic protocol (contrast injection without saline flush); group 2: biphasic protocol (contrast injection with saline flush); group 3A, 3B and 3C: triphasic protocol (contrast media + different saline diluted contrast media + saline flush). Image quality scores and artifacts were compared and evaluated on both transaxial and three-dimensional coronary artery images among each contrast protocol. Results: Among the triphasic protocol groups, group 3A (30%:70% contrast media-saline mixture was used in second phase) used the least contrast media and had the least frequency of streak artifacts, but there were no significant differences in coronary artery attenuation, image quality, visualization right and left heart structures. Among the uniphasic protocol group (group 1), biphasic protocol group (group 2) and triphasic protocol subgroup (group 3A), there were no significant differences in image quality scores of coronary artery (P = 0.18); uniphasic protocol group had the highest frequency of streak artifacts (20 cases) (P < 0.05) and had the most amount contrast media (67.0 ± 5.3 ml); biphasic protocol group had the least amount of contrast media (59.9 ± 4.9 ml) (P < 0.05) and had the highest attenuation of left main coronary artery and right coronary artery (P < 0.01), but had the least amount of clear visualization right heart structure (6 cases); triphasic protocol group (group 3A) had the most amount of clear visualization right heart structures (29 cases) were the most among the three groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Biphasic protocol are superior to the traditional uniphasic protocols for using the least total contrast media, having the least

  9. What is the best contrast injection protocol for 64-row multi-detector cardiac computed tomography?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lu Jinguo [Department of Radiology, Cardiovascular Institute and Fuwai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 167 Beilishi Road, Beijing (China); Lv Bin, E-mail: blu@vip.sina.co [Department of Radiology, Cardiovascular Institute and Fuwai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 167 Beilishi Road, Beijing (China); Chen Xiongbiao; Tang Xiang; Jiang Shiliang; Dai Ruping [Department of Radiology, Cardiovascular Institute and Fuwai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 167 Beilishi Road, Beijing (China)

    2010-08-15

    Objective: To determine the optimal contrast injection protocol for 64-MDCT coronary angiography. Materials and methods: One hundred and fifty consecutive patients scheduled to undergo retrospectively electrocardiographically gated 64-MDCT. Each 30 patients were assigned to use a different contrast protocol: group 1: uniphasic protocol (contrast injection without saline flush); group 2: biphasic protocol (contrast injection with saline flush); group 3A, 3B and 3C: triphasic protocol (contrast media + different saline diluted contrast media + saline flush). Image quality scores and artifacts were compared and evaluated on both transaxial and three-dimensional coronary artery images among each contrast protocol. Results: Among the triphasic protocol groups, group 3A (30%:70% contrast media-saline mixture was used in second phase) used the least contrast media and had the least frequency of streak artifacts, but there were no significant differences in coronary artery attenuation, image quality, visualization right and left heart structures. Among the uniphasic protocol group (group 1), biphasic protocol group (group 2) and triphasic protocol subgroup (group 3A), there were no significant differences in image quality scores of coronary artery (P = 0.18); uniphasic protocol group had the highest frequency of streak artifacts (20 cases) (P < 0.05) and had the most amount contrast media (67.0 {+-} 5.3 ml); biphasic protocol group had the least amount of contrast media (59.9 {+-} 4.9 ml) (P < 0.05) and had the highest attenuation of left main coronary artery and right coronary artery (P < 0.01), but had the least amount of clear visualization right heart structure (6 cases); triphasic protocol group (group 3A) had the most amount of clear visualization right heart structures (29 cases) were the most among the three groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Biphasic protocol are superior to the traditional uniphasic protocols for using the least total contrast media, having the least

  10. Pengaruh Prosentase Etanol terhadap Torsi dan Emisi Motor Indirect Injection dengan Memodifikasi Engine Control Module

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hadi Rahmad

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available This research present the torque and exhaust emission level from four stroke indirect injection fuel system engine. An engine fueled by ethanol gasoline blend. The original Engine Controle Module injected lean mixture into Combustion Chamber. Lean Mixture decreased Torque drastically. Therefore, the Engine Controle Module was modified to produce stoichiometric mixture. Injector was controlled by digital pulse of Fuel Controller. Ethanol was added into gasoline 0% - 100% at 1500 rpm-5000 rpm. The result demonstrate that increasing ethanol concentration into gasoline fuel system, decreasing Torque, and CO, HC, CO2 emission. By increasing ethanol concentration also increase CO2 emission to 34.6%.

  11. Triple test cross analysis for salinity tolerance in wheat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zafar, M.; Khan, A.S.; Chowdhry, M.A.

    2008-01-01

    Triple test cross analysis applied to study additive, dominance and epistatic components of genetic variation for five seedling traits namely shoot length, fresh shoot weight, root length, fresh root weight and root shoot ratio at two salinity levels 0 (control) and 10 dSm/sup -1/ in wheat. The results revealed that the epistatic component is an important element for salinity tolerance at seedling stage in wheat. Both additive and dominance gene effects were involved in the inheritance of shoot length, fresh shoot weight, root length fresh root weight and root shoot ratio Complete dominance was indicated for shoot length, fresh root weight and root/shoot ratio and partial dominance was observed for other traits at control and over dominance was observed for shoot length, fresh shoot weight and root/shoot ratio, complete dominance for fresh root weight and partial dominance for root length at 10 dSm/sup -1/ salinity level. Significant epitasis was observed for all the traits except shoot length at both the salinity treatments. (author)

  12. [Shengqifuzheng Injection promotes the recovery of B cells in gut-associated lymphoid tissues of mice treated with cyclophosphamide].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Xiangliang; Huang, Rongrong; Wen, Ruyan; Luo, Xia; Zhou, Lian

    2016-08-01

    Objective To investigate the effect of Shengqifuzheng Injection (SQFZ) on the number recovery of B cells in gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALTs) of mice receiving cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy. Methods BALB/c mice were randomly divided into control group, cyclophosphamide (Cy) group and SQFZ group. Mice in Cy group and SQFZ group were injected intraperitoneally with Cy (100 mg/kg), while the control mice were injected with an equal volume of normal saline. Twenty-four hours later, mice in SQFZ group were administrated intragastricly with 1 mL SQFZ once daily for 10 consecutive days, and mice in the other groups were given the same volume of normal saline. Body mass of all the mice was measured every day. Mice were killed on day 10, and the indexes of spleen and thymus were measured. Cell cycles of bone marrow cells and the percentage of B cells in lymphocytes in mesenteric lymph node (MLN) and Peyer's patch (PP) were detected by flow cytometry. In vitro, after being treated with SQFZ, activity of lymphocytes was evaluzed by MTT assay; expression of CD86 on B cell surface was analyzed by flow cytometry; and B cell proliferation was tested by carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE)-based lymphocyte proliferation assay. Results SQFZ alleviated the loss of body mass caused by Cy and promoted the recovery of thymus indexes, spleen indexes and B cell number in MLN and PP. But it did not alleviate the bone marrow suppression of mice in this condition. In vitro, SQFZ enhanced lymphocyte activity, and improved the activation and proliferation of B cells. Conclusion SQFZ could accelerate the recovery of B cells in GALTs of mice receiving chemotherapy and it might act by promoting B cell proliferation.

  13. Absolute Salinity, ''Density Salinity'' and the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale: present and future use in the seawater standard TEOS-10

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. G. Wright

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Salinity plays a key role in the determination of the thermodynamic properties of seawater and the new TEOS-101 standard provides a consistent and effective approach to dealing with relationships between salinity and these thermodynamic properties. However, there are a number of practical issues that arise in the application of TEOS-10, both in terms of accuracy and scope, including its use in the reduction of field data and in numerical models.

    First, in the TEOS-10 formulation for IAPSO Standard Seawater, the Gibbs function takes the Reference Salinity as its salinity argument, denoted SR, which provides a measure of the mass fraction of dissolved material in solution based on the Reference Composition approximation for Standard Seawater. We discuss uncertainties in both the Reference Composition and the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale on which Reference Salinity is reported. The Reference Composition provides a much-needed fixed benchmark but modified reference states will inevitably be required to improve the representation of Standard Seawater for some studies. However, the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale should remain unaltered to provide a stable representation of salinity for use with the TEOS-10 Gibbs function and in climate change detection studies.

    Second, when composition anomalies are present in seawater, no single salinity variable can fully represent the influence of dissolved material on the thermodynamic properties of seawater. We consider three distinct representations of salinity that have been used in previous studies and discuss the connections and distinctions between them. One of these variables provides the most accurate representation of density possible as well as improvements over Reference Salinity for the determination of other thermodynamic properties. It is referred to as "Density Salinity" and is represented by the symbol

  14. Identification of the microbes mediating Fe reduction in a deep saline aquifer and their influence during managed aquifer recharge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ko, Myoung-Soo; Cho, Kyungjin; Jeong, Dawoon; Lee, Seunghak

    2016-03-01

    In this study, indigenous microbes enabling Fe reduction under saline groundwater conditions were identified, and their potential contribution to Fe release from aquifer sediments during managed aquifer recharge (MAR) was evaluated. Sediment and groundwater samples were collected from a MAR feasibility test site in Korea, where adjacent river water will be injected into the confined aquifer. The residual groundwater had a high salinity over 26.0 psu, as well as strong reducing conditions (dissolved oxygen, DOaquifer were found to be Citrobacter sp. However, column experiments to simulate field operation scenarios indicated that additional Fe release would be limited during MAR, as the dominant microbial community in the sediment would shift from Citrobacter sp. to Pseudomonas sp. and Limnohabitans sp. as river water injection alters the pore water chemistry. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Evaluation of intra-articular injection of autologous platelet lysate (PL) in horses with osteoarthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tyrnenopoulou, Panagiota; Diakakis, Nikolaos; Karayannopoulou, Maria; Savvas, Ioannis; Koliakos, Georgios

    2016-06-01

    Regenerative medicine has become one of the most promising therapies of equine osteoarthritis. Platelet lysate (PL) is rich in bioactive proteins and growth factors that play a crucial role in tissue healing. To evaluate the efficacy of intra-articularly injected autologous PL in equine athletes with naturally occurring osteoarthritis. Fifteen warmblood geldings aged 8-19 years with osteoarthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint were included in this study. They were randomly divided into two groups; 10 horses received intra-articular injections of PL and 5 of normal saline (controls). Before treatment, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) levels in basal plasma and prepared PL were estimated. Each joint was injected twice within a three-week period. Lameness was evaluated using the American Association of Equine Practitioners grading system, before treatment and 10 days after each intra-articular injection. Horses were examined fortnightly for one year. Radiographic examination was performed six months post-treatment. The generalized estimating equation test was used for statistical analysis. Acceptable levels of PDGF were detected in PLs (mean ± SD: 258.0 ± 52.3 pg/ml). The majority of horses (9/10) responded positively to PL treatment presenting lower lameness grades (p < 0.0005) compared to controls 10 days after the second injection, and returned to normal athletic activity. Radiographs revealed no changes in osteoarthritis lesions six months after treatment. One year post-injections, however, all horses relapsed to their initial degree of lameness. Intra-articularly injected autologous PL is an efficient method for temporarily managing osteoarthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint in athletic horses.

  16. Feedforward Coordinate Control of a Robotic Cell Injection Catheter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Weyland; Law, Peter K

    2017-08-01

    Remote and robotically actuated catheters are the stepping-stones toward autonomous catheters, where complex intravascular procedures may be performed with minimal intervention from a physician. This article proposes a concept for the positional, feedforward control of a robotically actuated cell injection catheter used for the injection of myogenic or undifferentiated stem cells into the myocardial infarct boundary zones of the left ventricle. The prototype for the catheter system was built upon a needle-based catheter with a single degree of deflection, a 3-D printed handle combined with actuators, and the Arduino microcontroller platform. A bench setup was used to mimic a left ventricle catheter procedure starting from the femoral artery. Using Matlab and the open-source video modeling tool Tracker, the planar coordinates ( y, z) of the catheter position were analyzed, and a feedforward control system was developed based on empirical models. Using the Student's t test with a sample size of 26, it was determined that for both the y- and z-axes, the mean discrepancy between the calibrated and theoretical coordinate values had no significant difference compared to the hypothetical value of µ = 0. The root mean square error of the calibrated coordinates also showed an 88% improvement in the z-axis and 31% improvement in the y-axis compared to the unmodified trial run. This proof of concept investigation leads to the possibility of further developing a feedfoward control system in vivo using catheters with omnidirectional deflection. Feedforward positional control allows for more flexibility in the design of an automated catheter system where problems such as systemic time delay may be a hindrance in instances requiring an immediate reaction.

  17. Dwarf cashew growth irrigated with saline waters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hugo Orlando Carvallo Guerra

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available The cashew production is one of the most important agricultural activities from the social-economical viewpoint for the North East of Brazil; besides to produce a great deal of hand labor, it is very important as an exporting commodity. The inadequate use of irrigation in the semi arid regions of the North East of Brazil has induced soil salinization and consequently problems for the irrigated agriculture. In spite of this, few works have been conducted to study the effect of saline stress on the growth and development of the cashew. Because of the lack of information for this crop, an experiment was conducted to study the effect of salinity stress on the phytomass production and nutrient accumulation on the different organs of the precocious dwarf cashew (Anacardium occidentale L. clone CCP76. The study was conducted under controlled conditions using as statistical scheme a randomized block design factorial with six replicates. Five salinity treatments were considered for the irrigation water (electrical conductivities of 0.8, 1.6, 2.4, 3.2 and 4.0 dS m-1 at 25oC. The increasing in salinity of the irrigation water reduced the phytomass at different organs of the studied plant. The nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, chloride and sodium in the plant varied with the salinity of the irrigation water according with the part of the plant analyzed; in some parts increased, in others decreased, in others increased initially and decreased afterwards, and finally, in other part of the plant the salinity of the irrigation water did not affect the nutrient concentration.

  18. Nonlinear control of rotating stall and surge with axisymmetric bleed and air injection on axial flow compressors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeung, Chung-Hei (Simon)

    The study of compressor instabilities in gas turbine engines has received much attention in recent years. In particular, rotating stall and surge are major causes of problems ranging from component stress and lifespan reduction to engine explosion. In this thesis, modeling and control of rotating stall and surge using bleed valve and air injection is studied and validated on a low speed, single stage, axial compressor at Caltech. Bleed valve control of stall is achieved only when the compressor characteristic is actuated, due to the fast growth rate of the stall cell compared to the rate limit of the valve. Furthermore, experimental results show that the actuator rate requirement for stall control is reduced by a factor of fourteen via compressor characteristic actuation. Analytical expressions based on low order models (2--3 states) and a high fidelity simulation (37 states) tool are developed to estimate the minimum rate requirement of a bleed valve for control of stall. A comparison of the tools to experiments show a good qualitative agreement, with increasing quantitative accuracy as the complexity of the underlying model increases. Air injection control of stall and surge is also investigated. Simultaneous control of stall and surge is achieved using axisymmetric air injection. Three cases with different injector back pressure are studied. Surge control via binary air injection is achieved in all three cases. Simultaneous stall and surge control is achieved for two of the cases, but is not achieved for the lowest authority case. This is consistent with previous results for control of stall with axisymmetric air injection without a plenum attached. Non-axisymmetric air injection control of stall and surge is also studied. Three existing control algorithms found in literature are modeled and analyzed. A three-state model is obtained for each algorithm. For two cases, conditions for linear stability and bifurcation criticality on control of rotating stall are

  19. Therapeutic effect of an injectable sustained-release sinomenine hydrochloride and sodium hyaluronate compound in a rabbit model of osteoarthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Wen-Guang; Ling, Pei-Xue; Lin, Xiu-Kun; Chen, Jian-Ying; Wang, Shao-Jin; Li, Peng; Wu, Xiao-Juan; Zhao, Dong-Mei; Liu, Sheng-Hou

    2012-07-01

    While intra-articular injection of sinomenine hydrochloride has a therapeutic effect on osteoarthritis, it has a short half-life, and is thermolabile and photolabile. The aim of this research was to evaluate the sustained-release of sinomenine hydrochloride from an injectable sinomenine hydrochloride and sodium hyaluronate compound (CSSSI) and its therapeutic effect in a rabbit model of osteoarthritis following intra-articular injection. An injectable compound consisting of 1% sodium hyaluronate and 2.5% sinomenine hydrochloride was prepared and kept as the experiment group, and 2.5% sinomenine hydrochloride was prepared and kept as the control group. The cumulative mass release was measured at different time points in each group in vitro. Sixty-five male Zelanian rabbits were randomly divided into five groups: 15 (30 knees) each for the control, sodium hyaluronate, sinomenine hydrochloride, and CSSSI groups respectively, and five (10 knees) for the modeling group. Papain was injected into both knees of each rabbit for model establishment. Subsequently, 0.2 ml of the corresponding drugs was injected into the articular cavities of the remaining experiment groups, while the control group was treated with 0.2 ml normal saline. All groups were treated once a week for 4 weeks. Seven days after the last treatment, knees were anatomized to perform pathological observations and Mankin's evaluation of the synovium. Four groups were compared using the SPSS 13.0 software package. In the in vitro sustained-release experiments, 90% of the drug was released in the experiment group 360 minutes following the injection. Comparison of the Mankin's evaluations of the four groups illustrated statistical discrepancies (P sodium hyaluronate/sinomenine hydrochloride groups, statistical significance was uniformly obtained. Moreover, sodium hyaluronate and sinomenine hydrochloride treatments showed significant improvement over the modeling control (P sodium hyaluronate vs. sinomenine

  20. Weed control by direct injection of plant protection products according to specific situations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krebs, Mathias

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Precision Farming in agriculture allows a site-specific management of the crop. The aim of plant protection is to apply plant protection products (PPP according to the site specific requirements on the field. Within the context of a research program to promote innovation, a sprayer with direct injection of plant protection products was developed. The direct injection offers site specific spraying of different individual PPP in a single pass. The sprayer prototype is equipped with a special spray boom combining three nozzle lines. In order to prevent delay times, the nozzle lines are preloaded before spraying. First results for weed control from test stand measurements and field trials showed that the injection pumps work with high accuracy. The prototype can be used without delay times site specific with up to three different herbicides. Field trials for site-specific weed control in winter wheat demonstrate the applicability of the system under practical conditions. By treatment of subareas herbicides and therefore costs could be saved. A reduction in yield compared with the conventionally treated field areas could not be ascertained. Also an efficacy reduction through washout of active ingredient from target surfaces due to simultaneous use of all three nozzle lines with up to 1050 l/ha application rate could not be detected. At high water spray rates, the efficacy effect occurs delayed. Overall, the newly developed direct injection system proved fieldabillity during the first tests. So weed control can be carried out situation-responsive, which can save herbicides and environmental impacts are reduced.

  1. The effect of local injection of the human growth hormone on the mandibular condyle growth in rabbit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masood Feizbakhsh

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of local injection of human growth hormone (GH in stimulating cartilage and bone formation in a rabbit model of temporomandibular joint (TMJ. Materials and Methods: In an experimental animal study, 16 male Albino New Zealand white rabbits aged 12 weeks were divided into two groups: In the first group (7 rabbits 2 mg/kg/1 ml human GH and in the control group (9 rabbits 1 ml normal saline was administered locally in both mandibular condyles. Injections were employed under sedation and by single experienced person. Injections were made for 6 times with 3 injections a week in the all test and control samples. Rabbits were sacrified at the 20th day from the beginning of study and TMJs were histologically examined. ANOVA (two-sided with Dunnett post hoc test was used to compare data of bone and cartridge thickness while chi-square test was used to analyze hyperplasia and disk deformity data. P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Cartilage layer thickness was greater in the GH-treated (0.413 ± 0.132 than the control group (0.287 ± 0.098 (P value = 0.02. Although bone thickness and condylar cartilage hyperplasia were greater in the GH-treated group, these differences were not statistically significant (P value = 0.189 and 0.083, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between two groups regarding the disc deformity (P value = 0.46. Conclusion: Local injection of human GH in the TMJ is able to accelerate growth activity of condylar cartilage in rabbit.

  2. A case control study of breast cancer risk and exposure to injectable ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A case control study of breast cancer risk and exposure to injectable progestogen contraceptives. R. Bailie, J Katzenellenbogen, M. Hoffman, G Schierhout, H Truter, D Dent, A Gudgeon, J van Zyl, L Rosenberg, S Shapiro ...

  3. Reduction in sodium content of local anesthetics for peripheral nerve blocks: a comparative evaluation of saline with 5% dextrose--a randomized controlled double-blind study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhir, Shalini; Tureanu, Luminita; Bouzari, Amir; Masood, Amna; Francispragasam, Mario; Ganapathy, Sugantha

    2012-06-01

    Commercially available local anesthetic drugs when diluted with normal saline have high sodium content. High perineural sodium concentration has been implicated in antagonizing the analgesic effects of local anesthetics by preventing and/or delaying neural blockade. Five percent dextrose is not known to cause any short- or long-term injury when injected around neural tissue. In this study, we prospectively compared and evaluated block characteristics when local anesthetic drug was diluted with these 2 different agents. Patients scheduled for upper limb surgery were randomly assigned to receive axillary brachial plexus block with 0.5% ropivacaine (1% diluted with either 5% dextrose or normal saline). Motor and sensory block were tested every 5 minutes for 30 minutes. Postoperatively, a telephone interview was conducted after 24 hours and 7 days along with surgical follow-up at days 3, 10, and/or 14 to 28 days to document side effects, patient satisfaction, and time for block resolution. Any nerve deficits were followed until resolution. The primary outcome was time to onset of sensory nerve block. Five hundred fifty patients were recruited for this study. The mean time to complete sensory block was 18.3 ± 6.1 minutes in the dextrose group and 22.5 ± 6.4 minutes in the saline group (P dextrose provides earlier onset of axillary brachial plexus block with ropivacaine.

  4. Histologic Evidence of New Collagen Formulation Using Platelet Rich Plasma in Skin Rejuvenation: A Prospective Controlled Clinical Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abuaf, Ozlem Karabudak; Yildiz, Hamza; Baloglu, Hüseyin; Bilgili, Memet Ersan; Simsek, Hasan Aktug; Dogan, Bilal

    2016-12-01

    Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous concentration of human platelets contained in a small volume of plasma and has recently been shown to accelerate rejuvenate aging skin by various growth factors and cell adhesion molecules. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intradermal injection of PRP in the human facial rejuvenation. This study was a prospective, single-center, single-dose, open-label, non-randomized controlled clinical study. PRP injected to the upper site of this right infra-auricular area and all face. Saline was injected to the left infra-auricular area. Histopathological examinations were performed before PRP treatment, 28 days after the PRP, and saline (control) treatments. Twenty women ranging in age from 40 to 49 years (mean age, 43.65±2.43 years) were enrolled in the study. The mean optical densities (MODs) of collagen in the pre-treatment, control, and PRP-treated area were measured. They were 539±93.2, 787±134.15, 1,019±178, respectively. In the MOD of PRP, 89.05 percent improvement was found when MOD of PRP was compared with MOD of pre-treatment. The mean MOD of collagen fibers was clearly highest on the PRP side ( p facial skin rejuvenation.

  5. Sorbent Injection for Small ESP Mercury Control in Low Sulfur Eastern Bituminous Coal Flue Gas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carl Richardson; Katherine Dombrowski; Douglas Orr

    2006-12-31

    This project Final Report is submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-03NT41987, 'Sorbent Injection for Small ESP Mercury Control in Low Sulfur Eastern Bituminous Coal Flue Gas.' Sorbent injection technology is targeted as the primary mercury control process on plants burning low/medium sulfur bituminous coals equipped with ESP and ESP/FGD systems. About 70% of the ESPs used in the utility industry have SCAs less than 300 ft2/1000 acfm. Prior to this test program, previous sorbent injection tests had focused on large-SCA ESPs. This DOE-NETL program was designed to generate data to evaluate the performance and economic feasibility of sorbent injection for mercury control at power plants that fire bituminous coal and are configured with small-sized electrostatic precipitators and/or an ESP-flue gas desulfurization (FGD) configuration. EPRI and Southern Company were co-funders for the test program. Southern Company and Reliant Energy provided host sites for testing and technical input to the project. URS Group was the prime contractor to NETL. ADA-ES and Apogee Scientific Inc. were sub-contractors to URS and was responsible for all aspects of the sorbent injection systems design, installation and operation at the different host sites. Full-scale sorbent injection for mercury control was evaluated at three sites: Georgia Power's Plant Yates Units 1 and 2 [Georgia Power is a subsidiary of the Southern Company] and Reliant Energy's Shawville Unit 3. Georgia Power's Plant Yates Unit 1 has an existing small-SCA cold-side ESP followed by a Chiyoda CT-121 wet scrubber. Yates Unit 2 is also equipped with a small-SCA ESP and a dual flue gas conditioning system. Unit 2 has no SO2 control system. Shawville Unit 3 is equipped with two small-SCA cold-side ESPs operated in series. All ESP systems tested in this program had SCAs less than 250 ft2/1000 acfm. Short-term parametric tests were conducted on Yates

  6. EFFECT OF INTRACUFF MEDIA-ALKALINISED LIGNOCAINE, SALINE, AND AIR ON ENDOTRACHEAL TUBE INDUCED EMERGENCE PHENOMENA: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Indu S

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available CONTEXT Emergence from general anaesthesia is associated with post extubation cough, hoarseness, sore throat, and dysphagia, which may affect the smoothness of extubation. Prophylactic interventions have been studied to reduce these tracheal morbidities with varying results. AIMS To compare the efficacy of air, alkalinised lignocaine and saline in maintaining intracuff pressure and reducing postoperative cough (PEC and sore throat (POST. SETTINGS AND DESIGN A randomised controlled study conducted in a teaching hospital. METHODS AND MATERIALS 105 patients scheduled for elective surgeries were randomly allocated into groups of 35 each. The endotracheal tube (ETT cuffs were inflated with air, alkalinised lignocaine, or saline. The intracuff pressure (ICP was initially set to 25-30 cm of H2O; measured every 30 minutes and before extubation; the minimum volume for occlusion (MOV noted. The incidence PEC and POST were monitored. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Data analysed using Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test; Bonferroni method allowed multiple comparisons. A p value <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS Pre-lubricated ETT cuff inflation with liquid media maintained an acceptable ICP. Saline and alkalinised lignocaine were effective in reducing PEC and POST. Alkalinised lignocaine provided smoother extubation and fared better in the early postoperative period. CONCLUSIONS Pre-lubricated ETT cuffs with liquid media reduced PEC and POST. Alkalinised lignocaine showed better profile than saline. Optimum ICP reduces tracheal morbidity.

  7. Preliminary study on the control of direct injection diesel engine for better fuel flexibility and emissions control. Pt. 1 and 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Egnell, R.; Kassem, N.; Bohlin, T.

    1985-01-01

    This report summarizes the results of a preliminary study on turbocharged direct injection diesel engines. Part I reviews the qualitative dynamic aspects of turbocharged diesel engine and the factors that affect its transient behaviour. It gives a brief account of the model structure and the interrelationships between the different components of the model as well as the different types of engine models and the methods of simulation. The transient response of a turbocharged engine under changing load, speed, and ambient conditions are discussed. Methods to improve the transient response, thus reducing fuel consumption and smoke emissions are briefly reviewed. Finally, both conventional and advanced control strategies are discussed with emphasis on the control of fuel injection (Delta-control), injection time (Alfa-control), and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR-control). Part II (in Swedish) consists of a literature survey on hardware components such as sensors, actuators, and injection systems that are, or expect to be, available with reasonable commercial costs. The objective of this survey is to provide the grounds on which to decide if these components satisfy the requirements of electronic control systems. Part III (in Swedish) discusses the transient response measurements obtained from two sets of experiments conducted on a six-cylinder motor working under varying conditions of load and speed. The objective of the first set of experiments was to quantify the difference in ignition delay between the transient and steady state operating conditions. The second set of experiments were aimed to provide a basis on which the engine efficiency obtained under transient conditions can be compared to that obtained from a single-cylinder motor working under steady state conditions.

  8. Mechanisms of Mixed-Layer Salinity Seasonal Variability in the Indian Ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Köhler, Julia; Serra, Nuno; Bryan, Frank O.; Johnson, Benjamin K.; Stammer, Detlef

    2018-01-01

    Based on a joint analysis of an ensemble mean of satellite sea surface salinity retrievals and the output of a high-resolution numerical ocean circulation simulation, physical processes are identified that control seasonal variations of mixed-layer salinity (MLS) in the Indian Ocean, a basin where salinity changes dominate changes in density. In the northern and near-equatorial Indian Ocean, annual salinity changes are mainly driven by respective changes of the horizontal advection. South of the equatorial region, between 45°E and 90°E, where evaporation minus precipitation has a strong seasonal cycle, surface freshwater fluxes control the seasonal MLS changes. The influence of entrainment on the salinity variance is enhanced in mid-ocean upwelling regions but remains small. The model and observational results reveal that vertical diffusion plays a major role in precipitation and river runoff dominated regions balancing the surface freshwater flux. Vertical diffusion is important as well in regions where the advection of low salinity leads to strong gradients across the mixed-layer base. There, vertical diffusion explains a large percentage of annual MLS variance. The simulation further reveals that (1) high-frequency small-scale eddy processes primarily determine the salinity tendency in coastal regions (in particular in the Bay of Bengal) and (2) shear horizontal advection, brought about by changes in the vertical structure of the mixed layer, acts against mean horizontal advection in the equatorial salinity frontal regions. Observing those latter features with the existing observational components remains a future challenge.

  9. Production of IgY by layers injected with Salmonella typhimurium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hee, H. L.

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In the present study, production of IgY and performance of layers immunised with Salmonella typhimurium were evaluated. Thirty 23-wk old layers (Lohmann Brown with average body weight of 1.6 � 0.03 kg. were randomly and equally divided into two groups. Both groups were placed in a specific pathogen free room equipped with an exhaust fan. The layers were placed in single battery cages with slightly tilted floor which allowed eggs to roll straight into the collecting tray. Lyophilized, attenuated whole cells of S. typhimurium strain [serotype: Somatic (O, antigen 1, 4, (5, 12, flagella (H N12 phase I: 1; phase II: 1, 2 (Group B] that were emulsified with Freund�s complete adjuvant were used to immunise the layers intramuscularly 3 times at 2-wk interval (treatment group. Layers in the control group were injected with a solution of sterilized phosphate-buffered saline (PBS emulsified with an equal volume of Freund�s complete adjuvant. The experimental period lasted for 14 wks. Specific antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed that the birds lost weight during the injection period, but the weights slowly increased in the following weeks. However, the weight of layers in the treated group remained lower (P<0.05 when compared to the period before injection. The loss in body weight of layers was the result of reduced feed intake, in particular during the injection weeks. Layers in the control group had a higher egg production, by about 10.1% than layers in the treatment group throughout the experimental period. The egg production for layers in treatment group showed a significant decrease (P<0.05 during the immunization period by 28.8%. The egg production significantly increased (P<0.05 to 71.9% after this period, but the production did not reach the level before immunisation. The weight of eggs of treated layers were significantly lower (P<0.05 than the control layers during the injection weeks. The egg

  10. Evaluation of NaCl Salinity Stress Using Three Different Laboratory Methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S Laleh

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available To investigate the effects of different salinity levels of NaCl on germination of safflower (cv. Esfahan 24 seeds under three different incubation methods, a factorial experiment was carried out based on a complete randomize design with three replications. Salinity levels were 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 dSm-1 (NaCl and incubation methods were sandwich method, and using petri dishes with open or closed doors. The results showed that among investigated traits, including germination percentage and rate, length, fresh and dry weight of root and shoot, salinity had the highest negative correlation with germination percentage. There was not a significant difference in germination percentage between 5 dSm-1 and control, but increasing salinity levels to 10, 15 and 20 dSm-1 led to 13, 23.50 and 39.74 % reduction in germination percentage, respectively, compared to control (P

  11. Sub-Tenon Atracurium Injection in Rabbit Eyes; a Histopathologic Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nafiseh Hashemi

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available

    PURPOSE: To evaluate early and late histopathologic changes following posterior sub-Tenon injection of atracurium in the rabbit eye. METHODS: This study was performed on 39 healthy white New Zealand rabbits which received sub-Tenon injection of 0.05-0.08 mg/kg atracurium diluted in 0.5 ml normal saline (N/S in the left and 0.5 ml N/S in the right eyes. Bilateral enuclation was performed one hour after the injection to evaluate early changes in 19 rabbits and one week later to determine late changes in the remaining 20 animals. After enucleation, the rabbits were euthanized. Enucleated eyes were sent in 10% formalin solution for histopathologic examination. After processing, the specimens were evaluated by light microscopy following staining with hematoxylin and eosin, and trichrome. RESULTS: Congestion was more common in the control group 1 hour after injection. Liquifaction necrosis was seen in both groups but was significantly increased one week after the injection in the atracurium group. CONCLUSION: Congestion is a transient complication related to injection which disappears after one week, but necrosis seems to be an important late complication of atracurium injection.

  12. Prevention of propofol injection pain in children: a comparison of pretreatment with tramadol and propofol-lidocaine mixture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borazan, Hale; Sahin, Osman; Kececioglu, Ahmet; Uluer, M Selcuk; Et, Tayfun; Otelcioglu, Seref

    2012-01-01

    The pain on propofol injection is considered to be a common and difficult to eliminate problem in children. In this study, we aimed to compare the efficacy of pretreatment with tramadol 1 mg.kg(-1)and propofol-lidocaine 20 mg mixture for prevention of propofol induced pain in children. One hundred and twenty ASA I-II patients undergoing orthopedic and otolaryngological surgery were included in this study and were divided into three groups with random table numbers. Group C (n=39) received normal saline placebo and Group T (n=40) received 1 mg.kg(-1) tramadol 60 sec before propofol (180 mg 1% propofol with 2 ml normal saline) whereas Group L (n=40) received normal saline placebo before propofol-lidocaine mixture (180 mg 1% propofol with 2 ml %1 lidocaine). One patient in Group C was dropped out from the study because of difficulty in inserting an iv cannula. Thus, one hundred and nineteen patients were analyzed for the study. After given the calculated dose of propofol, a blinded observer assessed the pain with a four-point behavioral scale. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics and intraoperative variables (p>0.05) except intraoperative fentanyl consumption and analgesic requirement one hr after surgery among the groups (ppain when compared with control group. Moderate and severe pain were found higher in control group (ppain was 79.4% in the control group, 35% in tramadol group, 25% in lidocaine group respectively (ppain when compared to placebo in children.

  13. Practical salinity management for leachate irrigation to poplar trees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smesrud, Jason K; Duvendack, George D; Obereiner, James M; Jordahl, James L; Madison, Mark F

    2012-01-01

    Landfill leachate can be beneficially reused for irrigation of fiber crops with appropriate attention to nutrient and salinity management. The Riverbend Landfill in Western Oregon has been effectively practicing irrigation of landfill leachate to poplar trees since 1993. Over that time, the site has been adaptively managed to control salinity impacts to the tree crop while beneficially utilizing the applied water and nutrients during each growing season. Representative leachate irrigation water has ranged in concentration of total dissolved solids from 777 to 6,940 mg/L, chloride from 180 to 1,760 mg/L and boron from 3.2 to 7.3 mg/L. Annual leachate irrigation applications have also ranged between 102 and 812 mm/yr. Important conclusions from this site have included: 1) Appropriate tree clone selection and tree stand spacing, thinning, and harvest rotations are critical to maintaining a productive tree stand that is resilient and resistant to salt stress. The most effective combinations have included clones DN-34, OP-367, 184-411, 49-177, and 15-29 planted at spacing of 3.7-m x 1.8-m to 3.7-m x 3.7-m; 2) Leaf tissue boron levels are closely correlated to soil boron levels and can be managed with leaching. When leaf tissue boron levels exceed 200 to 250 mg/kg, signs of salt stress may emerge and should be monitored closely; 3) Salinity from leachate irrigation can be managed to sustain a healthy tree crop by controlling mass loading rates and providing appropriate irrigation blending if necessary. Providing freshwater irrigation following each leachate irrigation and targeting freshwater irrigation as 30 percent of total irrigation water applied has successfully controlled salt impacts to vegetation; and 4) Drip irrigation generally requires more careful attention to long-term soil salinity management than spray irrigation. Moving drip irrigation tubes periodically to prevent the formation of highly saline zones within the soil profile is important. In this paper, a

  14. The use of salinity contrast for density difference compensation to improve the thermal recovery efficiency in high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Lopik, Jan H.; Hartog, Niels; Zaadnoordijk, Willem Jan

    2016-08-01

    The efficiency of heat recovery in high-temperature (>60 °C) aquifer thermal energy storage (HT-ATES) systems is limited due to the buoyancy of the injected hot water. This study investigates the potential to improve the efficiency through compensation of the density difference by increased salinity of the injected hot water for a single injection-recovery well scheme. The proposed method was tested through numerical modeling with SEAWATv4, considering seasonal HT-ATES with four consecutive injection-storage-recovery cycles. Recovery efficiencies for the consecutive cycles were investigated for six cases with three simulated scenarios: (a) regular HT-ATES, (b) HT-ATES with density difference compensation using saline water, and (c) theoretical regular HT-ATES without free thermal convection. For the reference case, in which 80 °C water was injected into a high-permeability aquifer, regular HT-ATES had an efficiency of 0.40 after four consecutive recovery cycles. The density difference compensation method resulted in an efficiency of 0.69, approximating the theoretical case (0.76). Sensitivity analysis showed that the net efficiency increase by using the density difference compensation method instead of regular HT-ATES is greater for higher aquifer hydraulic conductivity, larger temperature difference between injection water and ambient groundwater, smaller injection volume, and larger aquifer thickness. This means that density difference compensation allows the application of HT-ATES in thicker, more permeable aquifers and with larger temperatures than would be considered for regular HT-ATES systems.

  15. Subacromial triamcinolone acetonide, hyaluronic acid and saline injections for shoulder pain an RCT investigating the effectiveness in the first days.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penning, Ludo I F; de Bie, Rob A; Walenkamp, Geert H I M

    2014-10-23

    Subacromial impingement is a common cause of shoulder complaints in general practice. When the initial treatment with acetaminophen and low dose Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs fails, triamcinolone acetonide injections are commonly used. Triamcinolone acetonide injections are effective at four to six weeks. Little is known about the pain relief effect of triamcinolone acetonide injections in the first days after injection and the effect of repeated injection. In this study we investigate the effect of triamcinolone acetonide injections compared to hyaluronic acid and NaCl injections using a pain diary. 159 Patients recruited for an RCT comparing the effect of subacromial injections of triamcinolone acetonide, hyaluronic acid and sodium chloride (NaCl) were used in this study. They were blinded for their treatment and could receive up to three injections. Primary outcome consisted of the patient perceived pain on a VAS score recorded on a daily basis during 21 days following injection. Secondary outcome consisted of the amount of taken escape medication following injection and adverse effects. All patients received the first injection. 150 patients also received the second and third injections. 97% Of the paper and pencil pain diaries were returned for data analysis.The triamcinolone acetonide group showed the largest decrease in pain on the VAS scores after injection compared to the hyaluronic acid and NaCl group in the first week after injection. The reduction in pain was best achieved after the first injection, the second triamcinolone acetonide injection showed a further reduction in pain. The third triamcinolone acetonide injection only showed a slight improvement in pain reduction. In this study we could show a booster effect in pain reduction after repeated triamcinolone acetonide injection. The triamcinolone acetonide group showed a faster reduction in pain after injection compared to the hyaluronic acid and NaCl group. The effect was best seen after

  16. 76 FR 56982 - Announcement of Federal Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class VI Program for Carbon Dioxide (CO2

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-15

    ...-9465-1] Announcement of Federal Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class VI Program for Carbon Dioxide... Injection Control (UIC) Class VI Program for Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) Geologic Sequestration (GS) Wells under... highlighted in the ``Report of the Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage'' (August 2010), it is...

  17. Recent trends in salinity control for soilless growing systems management

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Katsoulas, N.; Voogt, W.

    2014-01-01

    The consequences of closed hydroponic systems, the impact of salinity build-up on crop yield and product quality are reviewed. Soilless cultivation, especially in closed-loop systems offers a great option for water saving in greenhouses. Capture and recycling of the drainage will considerably

  18. Transcriptional changes in oysters Crassostrea brasiliana exposed to phenanthrene at different salinities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zacchi, Flávia Lucena; Lima, Daína; Flores-Nunes, Fabrício de; Mattos, Jacó Joaquim; Lüchmann, Karim Hahn; Araújo de Miranda Gomes, Carlos Henrique; Bícego, Márcia Caruso; Taniguchi, Satie; Sasaki, Silvio Tarou; Dias Bainy, Afonso Celso

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Salinity effect on Crassostrea brasiliana exposed to phenanthrene. • Higher transcription of biotransformation genes under hyposmotic condition. • Elevated transcription of oxidative stress-related genes under hyposmotic condition. • Amino acid metabolism-related genes changes according to salinity. • Phenanthrene does not affect amino acid metabolism-related genes. - Abstract: Euryhaline animals from estuaries, such as the oyster Crassostrea brasiliana, show physiological mechanisms of adaptation to tolerate salinity changes. These ecosystems receive constant input of xenobiotics from urban areas, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as phenanthrene (PHE). In order to understand the influence of salinity on the molecular responses of C. brasiliana exposed to PHE, oysters were acclimatized to different salinities (35, 25 and 10) for 15 days and then exposed to 100 μg L"−"1 PHE for 24 h and 96 h. Control groups were kept at the same salinities without PHE. Oysters were sampled for chemical analysis and the gills were excised for mRNA quantification by qPCR. Transcript levels of different genes were measured, including some involved in oxidative stress pathways, phases I and II of the xenobiotic biotransformation systems, amino acid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism and aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator putative gene. Higher transcript levels of Sulfotransferase-like gene (SULT-like) were observed in oysters exposed to PHE at salinity 10 compared to control (24 h and 96 h); cytochrome P450 isoforms (CYP2AU1, CYP2-like1) were more elevated in oysters exposed for 24 h and CYP2-like2 after 96 h of oysters exposed to PHE at salinity 10 compared to control. These results are probably associated to an enhanced Phase I biotransformation activity required for PHE detoxification under hyposmotic stress. Higher transcript levels of CAT-like, SOD-like, GSTm-like (96 h) and GSTΩ-like (24 h) in oysters kept at salinity

  19. Transcriptional changes in oysters Crassostrea brasiliana exposed to phenanthrene at different salinities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zacchi, Flávia Lucena; Lima, Daína; Flores-Nunes, Fabrício de [Laboratory of Biomarkers of Aquatic Contamination and Immunochemistry − LABCAI, Federal University Santa Catarina, Florianópolis (Brazil); Mattos, Jacó Joaquim [Aquaculture Pathology Research Center – NEPAQ, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis (Brazil); Lüchmann, Karim Hahn [Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology – LBBM, Fishery Engineering Department, Santa Catarina State University, Laguna (Brazil); Araújo de Miranda Gomes, Carlos Henrique [Laboratory of Marine Mollusks – LMM, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis (Brazil); Bícego, Márcia Caruso; Taniguchi, Satie; Sasaki, Silvio Tarou [Laboratory of Marine Organic Chemistry – LABQOM, Oceanographic Institute, University of São Paulo, São Paulo (Brazil); Dias Bainy, Afonso Celso, E-mail: afonso.bainy@ufsc.br [Laboratory of Biomarkers of Aquatic Contamination and Immunochemistry − LABCAI, Federal University Santa Catarina, Florianópolis (Brazil)

    2017-02-15

    Highlights: • Salinity effect on Crassostrea brasiliana exposed to phenanthrene. • Higher transcription of biotransformation genes under hyposmotic condition. • Elevated transcription of oxidative stress-related genes under hyposmotic condition. • Amino acid metabolism-related genes changes according to salinity. • Phenanthrene does not affect amino acid metabolism-related genes. - Abstract: Euryhaline animals from estuaries, such as the oyster Crassostrea brasiliana, show physiological mechanisms of adaptation to tolerate salinity changes. These ecosystems receive constant input of xenobiotics from urban areas, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as phenanthrene (PHE). In order to understand the influence of salinity on the molecular responses of C. brasiliana exposed to PHE, oysters were acclimatized to different salinities (35, 25 and 10) for 15 days and then exposed to 100 μg L{sup −1} PHE for 24 h and 96 h. Control groups were kept at the same salinities without PHE. Oysters were sampled for chemical analysis and the gills were excised for mRNA quantification by qPCR. Transcript levels of different genes were measured, including some involved in oxidative stress pathways, phases I and II of the xenobiotic biotransformation systems, amino acid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism and aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator putative gene. Higher transcript levels of Sulfotransferase-like gene (SULT-like) were observed in oysters exposed to PHE at salinity 10 compared to control (24 h and 96 h); cytochrome P450 isoforms (CYP2AU1, CYP2-like1) were more elevated in oysters exposed for 24 h and CYP2-like2 after 96 h of oysters exposed to PHE at salinity 10 compared to control. These results are probably associated to an enhanced Phase I biotransformation activity required for PHE detoxification under hyposmotic stress. Higher transcript levels of CAT-like, SOD-like, GSTm-like (96 h) and GSTΩ-like (24 h) in oysters kept at

  20. Acid-base and hemodynamic status of patients with intraoperative hemorrhage using two solution types: Crystalloid Ringer lactate and 1.3% sodium bicarbonate in half-normal saline solution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashemi, Sayed Jalal; Heidari, Sayed Morteza; Yaraghi, Ahmad; Seirafi, Reza

    2016-01-01

    Intraoperative hemorrhage is one of the problems during surgery and, if it happens in a high volume without an immediate action to control, it can be fatal. Nowadays, various injectable solutions are used. The aim of this study was to compare the acid-base and hemodynamic status of the patient using two solutions, Ringer lactate and 1.3% sodium bicarbonate, in half saline solution. This clinical trial was performed at the Al-Zahra Hospital in 2013 on 66 patients who were randomly selected and put in two studied groups at the onset of hemorrhage. For the first group, crystalloid Ringer lactate solution and for the second group, 1.3% sodium bicarbonate in half-normal saline solution was used. Electrocardiogram, heart rate, O2 saturation non-invasive blood pressure and end-tidal CO2 were monitored. The arterial blood gas, blood electrolytes, glucose and blood urea nitrogen were measured before serum and blood injection. After the infusion of solutions and before blood transfusions, another sample was sent for measurement of blood parameters. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. The mean arterial pressure was significantly higher in the second group than in the first group at some times after the infusion of solutions. pHh levels, base excess, bicarbonate, sodium, strong ion differences and osmolarity were significantly greater and potassium and chloride were significantly lower in the second group than in the first group after the infusion of solutions. 1.3% sodium bicarbonate in half-normal saline solution can lead to a proper correction of hemodynamic instability. By maintaining hemodynamic status, osmolarity and electrolytes as well as better balance of acid-base, 1.3% sodium bicarbonate solution in half-normal saline solution can be more effective than Ringer lactate solution during intraoperative bleeding.

  1. A Study of Spill Control Characteristics of JP-8 and Conventional Diesel Fuel with a Common Rail Direct Injection System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seomoon Yang

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Diversification of energy sources is a key task for decreasing environmental impacts and global emission of gases. JP-8, a fuel derived from natural gas, coal, biomass, and waste plastics, is a bright prospect. JP-8 is considered a multi-source multi-purpose fuel, with several applications. A preliminary characterization of the JP-8 injection rate and injection quantity behavior was investigated based on the high-pressure common rail injection system used in a heavy-duty engine. According to the spill injection and injection pressure, a trade-off trend between injection rate and injection quantity was observed. As expected, pilot injection of JP-8 aviation fuel and diesel fuel affects the spray quantity and injection evolution of the subsequent operation without pilot injection. The difference in spilling between diesel and JP-8 aviation fuel is greater than the difference in injection amount per time; in the process of controlling the injector solenoid through ECU (Electric Control Units, the oil pressure valve and the needle valve operate to a higher extent in order to maintain the diesel fuel’s injection quantity volume. It was found that the total injection quantity was decreased by adding 20% pilot injection duration. Because the pilot injection quantity causes solenoid response, loss and needle lift stroke friction loss.

  2. Efficacy of hyaluronic acid or steroid injections for the treatment of a rat model of rotator cuff injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamaguchi, Takeshi; Ochiai, Nobuyasu; Sasaki, Yu; Kijima, Takehiro; Hashimoto, Eiko; Sasaki, Yasuhito; Kenmoku, Tomonori; Yamazaki, Hironori; Miyagi, Masayuki; Ohtori, Seiji; Takahashi, Kazuhisa

    2015-12-01

    This study evaluated dorsal root ganglia from C3-C7, analyzed gait, and compared the expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) which was a marker of inflammatory pain in a rat rotator cuff tear model in which the supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons were detached; comparisons were made to a sham group in which only the tendons were exposed. Fluorogold was injected into the glenohumeral joint 21 days after surgery in both groups, and saline, steroids, or hyaluronic acid was injected into the glenohumeral joint in the rotator cuff tear group 26 days after surgery. The proportions of CGRP-immunoreactive neurons were higher and the gait parameters were impaired in the rotator cuff tear group compared to in the sham group. However, the CGRP expression was reduced and the gait was improved with steroid or hyaluronic acid injection compared to saline, suggesting that both hyaluronic acid and steroid injections suppressed of inflammation which thought to be provided pain relief. While there were no significant differences, the suppression of CGRP expression and the improved gait after hyaluronic acid and steroid injections suggested that both methods were effective for rat rotator cuff tear model. © 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Randomized Clinical Trial of Periarticular Drug Injection used in combination Patient-Controlled Analgesia versus Patient-Controlled Analgesia Alone in Total Knee Arthroplasty

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MN Sabran

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available This is a prospective randomized clinical trial to compare use of a combination of periarticular drug injection with patient- controlled analgesia (PCA to PCA alone in post-total knee arthroplasty (TKA. Thirty patients who were admitted for unilateral total knee arthroplasty were selected randomly into an Injection group or a Standard group. The periarticular injection contained Ropivacaine, Ketorolac and Adrenaline, given intra-operatively. The mean amount of opioid used was 22.87 mmol/L in the Injection group as compared to 39.78 mmol/L in the Standard group (p = 0.026. The Injection group had lower pain score at rest and during exercise (p=0.021, p=0.041, respectively, as well as better return to function (p=0.026 and shorter hospital stay (6.1 days, Injection; 7.5 days, Standard, p=0.027. Overall, the group receiving periarticular drugs injection had less pain, less narcotic usage, earlier return to function, similar experience of adverse effects and shorter hospital stays.

  4. Rapid control of mold temperature during injection molding process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liparoti, Sara; Titomanlio, Giuseppe [Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano (Italy); Hunag, Tsang Min; Cakmak, Mukerrem [Department of Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325 (United States); Sorrentino, Andrea [Institute for Polymers, Composite and Biomaterials (IPCB) - CNR, P. Enrico Fermi 1, 80055 Portici (Italy)

    2015-05-22

    The control of mold surface temperature is an important factor that determines surface morphology and its dimension in thickness direction. It can also affect the frozen molecular orientation and the mold surface replicability in injection molded products. In this work, thin thermally active films were used to quickly control the mold surface temperature. In particular, an active high electrical conductivity carbon black loaded polyimide composites sandwiched between two insulating thin polymeric layers was used to condition the mold surface. By controlling the heating time, it was possible to control precisely the temporal variation of the mold temperature surface during the entire cycle. The surface heating rate was about 40°C/s and upon contact with the polymer the surface temperature decreased back to 40°C within about 5 s; the overall cycle time increased only slightly. The effect on cross section sample morphology of samples of iPP were analyzed and discussed on the basis of the recorded temperature evolution.

  5. Umbilical cord mesenchyme stem cell local intramuscular injection for treatment of uterine niche: Protocol for a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Dazhi; Wu, Shuzhen; Ye, Shaoxin; Wang, Wen; Guo, Xiaoling; Liu, Zhengping

    2017-11-01

    Uterine niche is defined as a triangular anechoic structure at the site of the scar or a gap in the myometrium at the site of a previous caesarean section. The main clinical manifestations are postmenstrual spotting and intrauterine infection, which may seriously affect the daily life of nonpregnant women. Trials have shown an excellent safety and efficacy for the potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a therapeutic option for scar reconstruction. Therefore, this study is designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of using MSCs in the treatment for the uterine niche. This phase II clinical trial is a single-center, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled with 2 arms. One hundred twenty primiparous participants will be randomly (1:1 ratio) assigned to receive direct intramuscular injection of MSCs (a dose of 1*10 cells in 1 mL of 0.9% saline) (MSCs group) or an identical-appearing 1 mL of 0.9% saline (placebo-controlled group) near the uterine incision. The primary outcome of this trial is to evaluate the proportion of participants at 6 months who is found uterine niche in the uterus by transvaginal utrasonography. Adverse events will be documented in a case report form. The study will be conducted at the Department of Obstetric of Southern Medical University Affiliated Maternal & Child Health Hospital of Foshan. This trial is the first investigation of the potential for therapeutic use of MSCs for the management of uterine niche after cesarean delivery. This protocol will help to determine the efficacy and safety of MSCs treatment in uterine niche and bridge the gap with regards to the current preclinical and clinical evidence. NCT02968459 (Clinical Trials.gov: http://clinicaltrials.gov/).

  6. Microbial Fuel Cells under Extreme Salinity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monzon del Olmo, Oihane

    I developed a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) that unprecedentedly works (i.e., produces electricity) under extreme salinity (≈ 100 g/L NaCl). Many industries, such as oil and gas extraction, generate hypersaline wastewaters with high organic strength, accounting for about 5% of worldwide generated effluents, which represent a major challenge for pollution control and resource recovery. This study assesses the potential for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to treat such wastewaters and generate electricity under extreme saline conditions. Specifically, the focus is on the feasibility to treat hypersaline wastewater generated by the emerging unconventional oil and gas industry (hydraulic fracturing) and so, with mean salinity of 100 g/L NaCl (3-fold higher than sea water). The success of this novel technology strongly depends on finding a competent and resilient microbial community that can degrade the waste under extreme saline conditions and be able to use the anode as their terminal electron acceptor (exoelectrogenic capability). I demonstrated that MFCs can produce electricity at extremely high salinity (up to 250 g/l NaCl) with a power production of 71mW/m2. Pyrosequencing analysis of the anode population showed the predominance of Halanaerobium spp. (85%), which has been found in shale formations and oil reservoirs. Promoting Quorum sensing (QS, cell to cell communication between bacteria to control gene expression) was used as strategy to increase the attachment of bacteria to the anode and thus improve the MFC performance. Results show that the power output can be bolstered by adding 100nM of quinolone signal with an increase in power density of 30%, for the first time showing QS in Halanaerobium extremophiles. To make this technology closer to market applications, experiments with real wastewaters were also carried out. A sample of produced wastewater from Barnet Shale, Texas (86 g/L NaCl) produced electricity when fed in an MFC, leading to my discovery of another

  7. Innovative evaluation of local injective gel of curcumin on the orthodontic tooth movement in rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sohrab Asefi

    2018-01-01

    Materials and Methods: Forty rats were used as follows in each group: (1 negative control: Did not receive any appliance or injection; (2 positive control: received 0.03 cc normal saline and appliance; (3 gelatin plus curcumin (G: Received 0.03 cc hydrogel and appliance; and (4 chitosan plus curcumin (Ch: Received 0.03 cc hydrogel and appliance. They were anesthetized and closed nickel-titanium coil springs were installed between the first molars and central incisors unilaterally as the orthodontic appliance. After 21 days, the rats were decapitated, and the distance between the first and second molars was measured by a leaf gauge. Howship's lacunae, blood vessels, osteoclast-like cells, and root resorption lacunae were evaluated in the histological analysis. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, Tukey's test, and t-test (P 0.05.

  8. Does increased salinity influence the competitive outcome of two producer species?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venâncio, C; Anselmo, E; Soares, A; Lopes, I

    2017-02-01

    Within the context of global climate changes, it is expected that low-lying coastal freshwater ecosystems will face seawater intrusion with concomitant increase in salinity levels. Increased salinity may provoke disruption of competitive relationships among freshwater species. However, species may be capable of acclimating to salinity, which, in turn, may influence the resilience of ecosystems. Accordingly, this work aimed at assessing the effects of multigenerational exposure to low levels of salinity in the competitive outcome of two species of green microalgae: Raphidocelis subcapitata and Chlorella vulgaris. To attain this, three specific objectives were delineated: (1) compare the toxicity of natural seawater (SW) and NaCl (as a surrogate of SW) to the two microalgae, (2) determine the capacity of the two microalgae species to acclimate to low salinity levels, and (3) assess the influence of exposure to low salinity levels in the competitive outcome of the two microalgae. Results revealed SW to be slightly less toxic than NaCl for the two microalgae. The EC 25,72 h for growth rate was 4.63 and 10.3 mS cm -1 for R. subcapitata and 6.94 and 15.4 mS cm -1 for C. vulgaris, respectively for NaCl and SW. Both algae were capable of acclimating to low levels of salinity, but C. vulgaris seemed to acclimate faster than R. subcapitata. When exposed in competition, under control conditions, the growth rates of C. vulgaris were lower than those of R. subcapitata. However, C. vulgaris was capable of acquiring competitive advantage equaling or surpassing the growth rate of R. subcapitata with the addition of NaCl or SW, respectively. The multigenerational exposure to low levels of salinity influenced the competitive outcome of the two algae both under control and salinity exposure. These results suggest that long-term exposure to low salinity stress can cause shifts in structure of algae communities and, therefore, should not be neglected since algae are at the basis

  9. Comparison of white spot syndrome virus infection resistance between Exopalaemon carinicauda and Litopenaeus vannamei under different salinity stresses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Qianqian; Yu, Ge; Sun, Ming; Li, Jitao; Li, Jian

    2017-12-01

    Exopalaemon carinicauda is one of the important economic shrimp species in China, and can tolerate a wide range of salinities. However, its disease resistance remains to be unclear in comparison with other shrimp species under salinity stress. In this study, the resistance to white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) of E. carinicauda and Litopenaeus vannamei was determined by comparing their hemocyanin (Hc) and phenoloxidase (PO) activities under different salinity stresses. In E. carinicauda, the PO activity and Hc gene transcript abundance showed a coherent pattern of increase and decrease while Hc content showed a slightly decrease with Vibrio anguillarum and WSSV infections. For both E. carinicauda and L. vannamei under salinity stress, the PO activity showed a positive correlation with the salinity while the Hc content and expression level of its gene increased significantly in salinities of 5, 15 and 25 g L-1. The survival rate of E. carinicauda with WSSV infection was higher than that of L. vannamei in the first 24 h under different salinity stresses. Drastic mortality of E.carinicauda and L. vannamei appeared at 48 h and 3 h post-injection, respectively. Furthermore, compared with L. vannamei, E. carinicauda displayed higher PO activity, Hc content and abundance of Hc gene mRNA. The results collectively indicated that Hc and PO have obviously functional connection in resisting pathogens and tolerating salinity stress, and PO activity and Hc gene mRNA abundance may reflect the resistance of shrimp to disease. E. carinicauda has higher level of immune potential than L. vannamei, suggesting its greater capacity in resisting pathogens under salinity stresses.

  10. Moving Forward on Remote Sensing of Soil Salinity at Regional Scale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elia Scudiero

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Soil salinity undermines global agriculture by reducing crop yield and impairing soil quality. Irrigation management can help control salinity levels within the soil root-zone. To best manage water and soil resources, accurate regional-scale inventories of soil salinity are needed. The past decade has seen several successful applications of soil salinity remote sensing. Two salinity remote sensing approaches exist: direct assessment based on analysis of surface soil reflectance (the most popular approach, and indirect assessment of root-zone (e.g., 0-1 m soil salinity based on analysis of crop canopy reflectance. In this perspective paper, we call on researchers and funding agencies to pay greater attention to the indirect approach because it is better suited for surveying agriculturally important lands. A joint effort between agricultural producers, irrigation specialists, environmental scientists, and policy makers is needed to better manage saline agricultural soils, especially because of projected future water scarcity in arid and semi-arid irrigated areas. The remote sensing community should focus on providing the best tools for mapping and monitoring salinity in such areas, which are of vital relevance to global food production.

  11. Intelligent emissions controller for substance injection in the post-primary combustion zone of fossil-fired boilers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reifman, Jaques; Feldman, Earl E.; Wei, Thomas Y. C.; Glickert, Roger W.

    2003-01-01

    The control of emissions from fossil-fired boilers wherein an injection of substances above the primary combustion zone employs multi-layer feedforward artificial neural networks for modeling static nonlinear relationships between the distribution of injected substances into the upper region of the furnace and the emissions exiting the furnace. Multivariable nonlinear constrained optimization algorithms use the mathematical expressions from the artificial neural networks to provide the optimal substance distribution that minimizes emission levels for a given total substance injection rate. Based upon the optimal operating conditions from the optimization algorithms, the incremental substance cost per unit of emissions reduction, and the open-market price per unit of emissions reduction, the intelligent emissions controller allows for the determination of whether it is more cost-effective to achieve additional increments in emission reduction through the injection of additional substance or through the purchase of emission credits on the open market. This is of particular interest to fossil-fired electrical power plant operators. The intelligent emission controller is particularly adapted for determining the economical control of such pollutants as oxides of nitrogen (NO.sub.x) and carbon monoxide (CO) emitted by fossil-fired boilers by the selective introduction of multiple inputs of substances (such as natural gas, ammonia, oil, water-oil emulsion, coal-water slurry and/or urea, and combinations of these substances) above the primary combustion zone of fossil-fired boilers.

  12. Survival and growth of invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish at low salinities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schofield, Pamela J.; Huge, Dane H.; Rezek, Troy C.; Slone, Daniel H.; Morris, James A.

    2015-01-01

    Invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish [Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) and P. miles (Bennett, 1828)] are now established throughout the Western North Atlantic. Several studies have documented negative effects of lionfish on marine fauna including significant changes to reef fish community composition. Established populations of lionfish have been documented in several estuaries, and there is concern that the species may invade other low-salinity environments where they could potentially affect native fauna. To gain a better understanding of their low-salinity tolerance, we exposed lionfish to four salinities [5, 10, 20 and 34 (control)]. No lionfish mortality was observed at salinities of 34, 20 or 10, but all fish died at salinity = 5 within 12 days. Lionfish survived for at least a month at a salinity of 10 and an average of about a week at 5. Fish started the experiment at an average mass of 127.9 g, which increased at a rate of 0.55 g per day while they were alive, regardless of salinity treatment. Our research indicated lionfish can survive salinities down to 5 for short periods and thus may penetrate and persist in a variety of estuarine habitats. Further study is needed on effects of salinity levels on early life stages (eggs, larvae).

  13. Photoacoustic imaging to detect rat brain activation after cocaine hydrochloride injection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jo, Janggun; Yang, Xinmai

    2011-03-01

    Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) was employed to detect small animal brain activation after the administration of cocaine hydrochloride. Sprague Dawley rats were injected with different concentrations (2.5, 3.0, and 5.0 mg per kg body) of cocaine hydrochloride in saline solution through tail veins. The brain functional response to the injection was monitored by photoacoustic tomography (PAT) system with horizontal scanning of cerebral cortex of rat brain. Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) was also used for coronal view images. The modified PAT system used multiple ultrasonic detectors to reduce the scanning time and maintain a good signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The measured photoacoustic signal changes confirmed that cocaine hydrochloride injection excited high blood volume in brain. This result shows PAI can be used to monitor drug abuse-induced brain activation.

  14. Remote Sensing Monitoring of Changes in Soil Salinity: A Case Study in Inner Mongolia, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jingwei Wu

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available This study used archived remote sensing images to depict the history of changes in soil salinity in the Hetao Irrigation District in Inner Mongolia, China, with the purpose of linking these changes with land and water management practices and to draw lessons for salinity control. Most data came from LANDSAT satellite images taken in 1973, 1977, 1988, 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006. In these years salt-affected areas were detected using a normal supervised classification method. Corresponding cropped areas were detected from NVDI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index values using an unsupervised method. Field samples and agricultural statistics were used to estimate the accuracy of the classification. Historical data concerning irrigation/drainage and the groundwater table were used to analyze the relation between changes in soil salinity and land and water management practices. Results showed that: (1 the overall accuracy of remote sensing in detecting soil salinity was 90.2%, and in detecting cropped area, 98%; (2 the installation/innovation of the drainage system did help to control salinity; and (3 a low ratio of cropped land helped control salinity in the Hetao Irrigation District. These findings suggest that remote sensing is a useful tool to detect soil salinity and has potential in evaluating and improving land and water management practices.

  15. Remote Sensing Monitoring of Changes in Soil Salinity: A Case Study in Inner Mongolia, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jingwei; Vincent, Bernard; Yang, Jinzhong; Bouarfa, Sami; Vidal, Alain

    2008-11-07

    This study used archived remote sensing images to depict the history of changes in soil salinity in the Hetao Irrigation District in Inner Mongolia, China, with the purpose of linking these changes with land and water management practices and to draw lessons for salinity control. Most data came from LANDSAT satellite images taken in 1973, 1977, 1988, 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006. In these years salt-affected areas were detected using a normal supervised classification method. Corresponding cropped areas were detected from NVDI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) values using an unsupervised method. Field samples and agricultural statistics were used to estimate the accuracy of the classification. Historical data concerning irrigation/drainage and the groundwater table were used to analyze the relation between changes in soil salinity and land and water management practices. Results showed that: (1) the overall accuracy of remote sensing in detecting soil salinity was 90.2%, and in detecting cropped area, 98%; (2) the installation/innovation of the drainage system did help to control salinity; and (3) a low ratio of cropped land helped control salinity in the Hetao Irrigation District. These findings suggest that remote sensing is a useful tool to detect soil salinity and has potential in evaluating and improving land and water management practices.

  16. Saline groundwater in crystalline bedrock

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lampen, P.

    1992-11-01

    The State-of-art report describes research made on deep saline groundwaters and brines found in crystalline bedrock, mainly in site studies for nuclear waste disposal. The occurrence, definitions and classifications of saline groundwaters are reviewed with a special emphasis on the different theories concerning the origins of saline groundwaters. Studies of the saline groundwaters in Finland and Sweden have been reviewed more thoroughly. Also the mixing of different bodies of groundwaters, observations of the contact of saline groundwaters and permafrost, and the geochemical modelling of saline groundwaters as well as the future trends of research have been discussed. (orig.)

  17. Salting it away : Saskatchewan's Petroleum Technology Research Centre is leading the study of storing CO{sub 2} in saline aquifers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Collison, M.

    2008-10-15

    This paper discussed the 5-year Aquistore project that is being conducted to assess the feasibility of continuously injecting carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) into saline aquifers. Conducted by the Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC), the aim of the project is to develop the monitoring technologies needed to prove that the CO{sub 2} can be safely and permanently stored. The $100 million dollar project will also develop technologies needed to build the necessary infrastructure for transporting the CO{sub 2} to the aquifers. Saline aquifers contain more than 10 times the capacity of depleted oil reservoirs. It is estimated that saline aquifers in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) contain enough capacity to absorb all reported emissions in Alberta and Saskatchewan every year for the next 1000 years. CO{sub 2} injected into the aquifers will become a supercritical fluid as a result of pressure and temperature forces within the aquifer and will subsequently mineralize and remain there permanently. A dedicated pipeline will transport CO{sub 2} from a refinery in Regina to the aquifer. The project is being funded by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), an agency whose mandate is to accelerate the entry of promising energy conservation technologies into the Canadian marketplace. It is hoped that the project will develop saline storage technologies that can be used to promote carbon sequestration in Canada. 5 figs.

  18. Influence of gypsum amendment on methane emission from paddy rice soil affected by saline irrigation water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ei Ei eTheint

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available To investigate the influence of gypsum application on methane (CH4 emission from paddy rice soil affected by saline irrigation water, two pot experiments with the rice cultivation were conducted. In pot experiment (I, salinity levels 30 mMNaCl (S30 and 90 mMNaCl (S90, that showed maximum and minimum CH4 production in an incubation experiment, respectively, were selected and studied without and with application of 1 Mg gypsum ha-1(G1. In pot experiment (II, CH4 emission was investigated under different rates of gypsum application: 1 (G1, 2.5 (G2.5 and 5 (G5 Mg gypsum ha-1 under a non-saline and saline condition of 25 mMNaCl (S25. In experiment (I, the smallest CH4 emission was observed in S90. Methane emission in S30 was not significantly different with the non-saline control. The addition of gypsum showed significant lower CH4 emission in saline and non-saline treatments compared with non-saline control. In experiment (II, the CH4 emissions in the saline treatments were not significantly different to the non-saline treatments except S25-G5. However, our work has shown that gypsum can lower CH4 emissions under saline and non-saline conditions. Thus, gypsum can be used as a CH4 mitigation option in non-saline as well as in saline conditions.

  19. Impact of saline-alkali stress on the accumulation of solids in tomato fruits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jan, N.E.; Din, J.U.; Kawabata, S

    2014-01-01

    Growing of tomato plants in saline conditions, having high rhizospheric EC, is often reported with high solid content in fruits. However, saline-alkali stress conditions, having high rhizospheric pH as well as high EC, have never been studied to evaluate its impact on the solid content of tomato fruits. In this study, we investigated the impact of saline-alkali stress (0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 mM NaHCO/sub 3/) on the accumulation of solids in tomato fruits. Addition of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO/sub 3/) to plants highly increased pH as well as EC of the soil leachate in 90 and 120 mM NaHCO/sub 3/ treatments in comparison to control treatment. Saline-alkali stress treatments did not influence the fruit dry weight, nonetheless, the content of fruit dry matter was increased significantly from 6.5% at control to 8.5% at 90 and 120 mM treatments. The content of soluble sugar was increased to 3% in 90 mM treatment in comparison to control (2%), owing to significant accumulation of hexose as well as sucrose in ripe fruits. In addition to carbohydrates, saline-alkali stress influenced the accumulation of organic acids in fruits, as well. Citric acid, being the major acid, showed positive correlation with the salt concentration, and was significantly high at stress treatments of higher than 30 mM. These results suggested that saline-alkali stress conditions, in spite of high pH, can increase the contents of fruit solids in tomato, as is usually observed in saline stress conditions. (author)

  20. Retrofit acid gas emission control for municipal waste incineration application of dry sorbent injection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zmuda, J.T.; Smith, P.V.

    1991-01-01

    Dry sorbent injection (DSI) has been successfully demonstrated on coal fired boiler applications as a means of reducing sulfur dioxide emissions. More recently, the dry sorbent injection process was applied to an existing municipal waste incinerator to provide acid gas emission controls. The results obtained from the successful demonstration of the sorbent injection system on an existing municipal incinerator are presented. Removal efficiencies of compounds such as HCl, SO 2 , SO 3 , mercury, and others by the use of sorbent injection are shown. Effects of the DSI system on downstream equipment, such as electrostatic precipitators, fabric filters, ash handling systems, and waste management is included. The impacts of the DSI system on the furnace is also discussed. In this paper a discussion of dry sorbent injection as a means of reducing acid gas and other emissions from existing municipal waste incinerators which may be affected by the regulations is presented. An application case study will outline typical exhaust conditions, expected pollution reductions, capital and operating costs, and type of available sorbents and their costs

  1. Application for Underground Injection Control Permit for the PUNA Geothermal Venture Project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    1989-06-01

    Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) plans to construct and operate the 25 MW Puna Geothermal Venture Project in the Puna District of the Island of Hawaii. The project will drill geothermal wells within a dedicated 500-acre project area, use the produced geothermal fluid to generate electricity for sale to the Hawaii Electric Light Company for use on the Island of Hawaii, and inject all the produced geothermal fluids back into the geothermal reservoir. Since the project will use injection wells, it will require an Underground Injection Control (UIC) permit from the Drinking Water Section of the State of Hawaii Department of Health. The PGV Project is consistent with the State and County of Hawaii's stated objectives of providing energy self-sufficiency and diversifying Hawaii's economic base. The project will develop a new alternate energy source as well as provide additional information about the nature of the geothermal resource.

  2. Hydrogen-rich saline ameliorates the severity of L-arginine-induced acute pancreatitis in rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Han; Sun, Yan Ping; Li, Yang; Liu, Wen Wu; Xiang, Hong Gang; Fan, Lie Ying; Sun, Qiang; Xu, Xin Yun; Cai, Jian Mei; Ruan, Can Ping; Su, Ning; Yan, Rong Lin; Sun, Xue Jun; Wang, Qiang

    2010-01-01

    Molecular hydrogen, which reacts with the hydroxyl radical, has been considered as a novel antioxidant. Here, we evaluated the protective effects of hydrogen-rich saline on the L-arginine (L-Arg)-induced acute pancreatitis (AP). AP was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by giving two intraperitoneal injections of L-Arg, each at concentrations of 250 mg/100 g body weight, with an interval of 1 h. Hydrogen-rich saline (>0.6 mM, 6 ml/kg) or saline (6 ml/kg) was administered, respectively, via tail vein 15 min after each L-Arg administration. Severity of AP was assessed by analysis of serum amylase activity, pancreatic water content and histology. Samples of pancreas were taken for measuring malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase. Apoptosis in pancreatic acinar cell was determined with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling technique (TUNEL). Expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) were detected with immunohistochemistry. Hydrogen-rich saline treatment significantly attenuated the severity of L-Arg-induced AP by ameliorating the increased serum amylase activity, inhibiting neutrophil infiltration, lipid oxidation and pancreatic tissue edema. Moreover, hydrogen-rich saline treatment could promote acinar cell proliferation, inhibit apoptosis and NF-κB activation. These results indicate that hydrogen treatment has a protective effect against AP, and the effect is possibly due to its ability to inhibit oxidative stress, apoptosis, NF-κB activation and to promote acinar cell proliferation.

  3. Injectable perlecan domain 1-hyaluronan microgels potentiate the cartilage repair effect of BMP2 in a murine model of early osteoarthritis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Srinivasan, Padma P; McCoy, Sarah Y; Yang Weidong; Farach-Carson, Mary C; Kirn-Safran, Catherine B; Jha, Amit K; Jia Xinqiao

    2012-01-01

    The goal of this study was to use bioengineered injectable microgels to enhance the action of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) and stimulate cartilage matrix repair in a reversible animal model of osteoarthritis (OA). A module of perlecan (PlnD1) bearing heparan sulfate (HS) chains was covalently immobilized to hyaluronic acid (HA) microgels for the controlled release of BMP2 in vivo. Articular cartilage damage was induced in mice using a reversible model of experimental OA and was treated by intra-articular injection of PlnD1-HA particles with BMP2 bound to HS. Control injections consisted of BMP2-free PlnD1-HA particles, HA particles, free BMP2 or saline. Knees dissected following these injections were analyzed using histological, immunostaining and gene expression approaches. Our results show that knees treated with PlnD1-HA/BMP2 had lesser OA-like damage compared to control knees. In addition, the PlnD1-HA/BMP2-treated knees had higher mRNA levels encoding for type II collagen, proteoglycans and xylosyltransferase 1, a rate-limiting anabolic enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of glycosaminoglycan chains, relative to control knees (PlnD1-HA). This finding was paralleled by enhanced levels of aggrecan in the articular cartilage of PlnD1-HA/BMP2-treated knees. Additionally, decreases in the mRNA levels encoding for cartilage-degrading enzymes and type X collagen were seen relative to controls. In conclusion, PlnD1-HA microgels constitute a formulation improvement compared to HA for efficient in vivo delivery and stimulation of proteoglycan and cartilage matrix synthesis in mouse articular cartilage. Ultimately, PlnD1-HA/BMP2 may serve as an injectable therapeutic agent for slowing or inhibiting the onset of OA after knee injury.

  4. Shallow rainwater lenses in deltaic areas with saline seepage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. G. B. de Louw

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available In deltaic areas with saline seepage, freshwater availability is often limited to shallow rainwater lenses lying on top of saline groundwater. Here we describe the characteristics and spatial variability of such lenses in areas with saline seepage and the mechanisms that control their occurrence and size. Our findings are based on different types of field measurements and detailed numerical groundwater models applied in the south-western delta of the Netherlands. By combining the applied techniques we could extrapolate measurements at point scale (groundwater sampling, temperature and electrical soil conductivity (TEC-probe measurements, electrical cone penetration tests (ECPT to field scale (continuous vertical electrical soundings (CVES, electromagnetic survey with EM31, and even to regional scale using helicopter-borne electromagnetic measurements (HEM. The measurements show a gradual mixing zone between infiltrating fresh rainwater and upward flowing saline groundwater. The mixing zone is best characterized by the depth of the centre of the mixing zone Dmix, where the salinity is half that of seepage water, and the bottom of the mixing zone Bmix, with a salinity equal to that of the seepage water (Cl-conc. 10 to 16 g l−1. Dmix is found at very shallow depth in the confining top layer, on average at 1.7 m below ground level (b.g.l., while Bmix lies about 2.5 m b.g.l. The model results show that the constantly alternating upward and downward flow at low velocities in the confining layer is the main mechanism of mixing between rainwater and saline seepage and determines the position and extent of the mixing zone (Dmix and Bmix. Recharge, seepage flux, and drainage depth are the controlling factors.

  5. The Effect of Erythropoietin on S100 Protein Expression in Cochlea After Acoustic Overstimulation: An Experimental Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gulsen Gurgen

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Aim: To investigate the effect of Erythropoietin on acoustically overstimulated rat spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs using S100 protein immunostaining.Material and Method: Twenty-two Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups: healthy control group (n=7, Saline solution (n=7 and Erythropoietin injection groups (n=8. Saline solution and Erythropoietin injection groups received white noise (100 dB SPL for 3 hours. Cochlear sections were stained by silver staining technique and immunostained by S100 antibody. Results: Histochemical analysis of silver staining sections revealed normal structure and a weak staining in SGNs of healthy control group. However, dark-black cytoplasmic staining, cellular shrinkage and degeneration were detected in saline injection group. On the other hand, a few weakly stained neurons were observed in erythropoietin injection group. S100 staining demonstrated strong reaction in Schwann cells and myelin sheaths of SGNs in healthy control group (p<0.05. In saline solution injection group, Schwann cells showed moderate S100 reaction and other regions of SGNs showed weak reaction (p<0.05. In erythropoietin injection group, strong S100 expression almost similar to the healthy control group was determined, although there was an occasional decrease. Discussion: Erythropoetin may prevent noise induced SGN degeneration via protecting the Schwann cells in rat cochlea.

  6. Cutaneous cooling to manage botulinum toxin injection-associated pain in patients with facial palsy: A randomised controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pucks, N; Thomas, A; Hallam, M J; Venables, V; Neville, C; Nduka, C

    2015-12-01

    Botulinum toxin injections are an effective, well-established treatment to manage synkinesis secondary to chronic facial palsy, but they entail painful injections at multiple sites on the face up to four times per year. Cutaneous cooling has long been recognised to provide an analgesic effect for cutaneous procedures, but evidence to date has been anecdotal or weak. This randomised controlled trial aims to assess the analgesic efficacy of cutaneous cooling using a cold gel pack versus a room-temperature Control. The analgesic efficacy of a 1-min application of a Treatment cold (3-5 °C) gel pack versus a Control (room-temperature (20 °C)) gel pack prior to botulinum toxin injection into the platysma was assessed via visual analogue scale (VAS) ratings of pain before, during and after the procedure. Thirty-five patients received both trial arms during two separate clinic appointments. Cold gel packs provided a statistically significant reduction in pain compared with a room-temperature Control (from 26.4- to 10.2-mm VAS improvement (p injected or the order in which the Treatment or Control gel packs were applied. Cryoanalgesia using a fridge-cooled gel pack provides an effective, safe and cheap method for reducing pain at the botulinum toxin injection site in patients with facial palsy. Copyright © 2015 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Monitoring of density in tokamaks: pumping and gas injection; Controle de la densite dans les tokamaks: pompage et injection de matiere

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dejarnac, R

    2002-11-01

    In thermonuclear fusion devices, controlling the Deuterium-Tritium fuel density and exhausting the Helium ashes is a crucial point. This is achieved by fuelling the discharges by different methods (gas puffing and pellet injection are the most commonly used) and by implementing pumping devices at the plasma periphery. These two issues are treated in this work, both from an experimental and a modelling point of view, using the neutral transport code EIRENE as main tool for our studies. As far as pumping is concerned, we have modelled the outboard pump limiter of the Tore Supra tokamak with the EIRENE code to which we coupled a plasma module specially developed to simulate the neutrals and the plasma in a coherent way. This allowed to validate the code against experimental data. As far as plasma fuelling is concerned, we present here an original method: the supersonic pulsed gas injection (SPGI). This intermediate method between conventional gas puff (GP) and pellet injection was designed and tested at Tore Supra. It consists of injecting very dense and short gas puffs at high speed into the plasma. Experimentally, SPGI was found to have a better fuelling efficiency than GP and to lead to a strong plasma cooling. The mechanisms responsible for this improved efficiency are analysed by modelling, using the EIRENE code to determine the ionisation source and a 1 D transport model to reproduce the plasma density response. At last, an extrapolation of the present injector is presented, discussing the possibility to obtain a radial drift of the injected matter as observed in the case of high field side pellet injection. (author)

  8. Ultrasound-Guided Hyaluronic Acid Injections for Trigger Finger: A Double-Blinded, Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ding-Hao; Tsai, Mei-Wun; Lin, Shan-Hui; Chou, Chen-Liang; Chiu, Jan-Wei; Chiang, Chao-Ching; Kao, Chung-Lan

    2015-12-01

    To investigate the effects of ultrasound-guided injections of hyaluronic acid (HA) versus steroid for trigger fingers in adults. Prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled study. Tertiary care center. Subjects with a diagnosis of trigger finger (N=36; 39 affected digits) received treatment and were evaluated. Subjects were randomly assigned to HA and steroid injection groups. Both study medications were injected separately via ultrasound guidance with 1 injection. The classification of trigger grading, pain, functional disability, and patient satisfaction were evaluated before the injection and 3 weeks and 3 months after the injection. At 3 months, 12 patients (66.7%) in the HA group and 17 patients (89.5%) in the steroid group exhibited no triggering of the affected fingers (P=.124). The treatment results at 3 weeks and 3 months showed similar changes in the Quinnell scale (P=.057 and .931, respectively). A statistically significant interaction effect between group and time was found for visual analog scale (VAS) and Michigan Hand Outcome Questionnaire (MHQ) evaluation (Pinjection (steroid 0.5±1.1 vs HA 2.7±2.4; Pinjection of HA demonstrated promising results for the treatment of trigger fingers. The optimal frequency, dosage, and molecular weight of HA injections for trigger fingers deserve further investigation for future clinical applications. Copyright © 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Remote Sensing of Salinity: The Dielectric Constant of Sea Water

    Science.gov (United States)

    LeVine, David M.; Lang, R.; Utku, C.; Tarkocin, Y.

    2011-01-01

    Global monitoring of sea surface salinity from space requires an accurate model for the dielectric constant of sea water as a function of salinity and temperature to characterize the emissivity of the surface. Measurements are being made at 1.413 GHz, the center frequency of the Aquarius radiometers, using a resonant cavity and the perturbation method. The cavity is operated in a transmission mode and immersed in a liquid bath to control temperature. Multiple measurements are made at each temperature and salinity. Error budgets indicate a relative accuracy for both real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant of about 1%.

  10. Effect of High-Volume Injection, Platelet-Rich Plasma, and Sham Treatment in Chronic Midportion Achilles Tendinopathy: A Randomized Double-Blinded Prospective Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boesen, Anders Ploug; Hansen, Rudi; Boesen, Morten Ilum; Malliaras, Peter; Langberg, Henning

    2017-07-01

    Injection therapies are often considered alongside exercise for chronic midportion Achilles tendinopathy (AT), although evidence of their efficacy is sparse. To determine whether eccentric training in combination with high-volume injection (HVI) or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections improves outcomes in AT. Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. A total of 60 men (age, 18-59 years) with chronic (>3 months) AT were included and followed for 6 months (n = 57). All participants performed eccentric training combined with either (1) one HVI (steroid, saline, and local anesthetic), (2) four PRP injections each 14 days apart, or (3) placebo (a few drops of saline under the skin). Randomization was stratified for age, function, and symptom severity (Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-Achilles [VISA-A]). Outcomes included function and symptoms (VISA-A), self-reported tendon pain during activity (visual analog pain scale [VAS]), tendon thickness and intratendinous vascularity (ultrasonographic imaging and Doppler signal), and muscle function (heel-rise test). Outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 6, 12, and 24 weeks of follow-up. VISA-A scores improved in all groups at all time points ( P Tendon thickness showed a significant decrease only in HVI and PRP groups during the intervention, and this was greater in the HVI versus PRP and placebo groups at 6 and 12 weeks ( P eccentric training in chronic AT seems more effective in reducing pain, improving activity level, and reducing tendon thickness and intratendinous vascularity than eccentric training alone. HVI may be more effective in improving outcomes of chronic AT than PRP in the short term. Registration: NCT02417987 ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).

  11. Effect of Vetiver Grass on Reduction of Soil Salinity and Some Minerals

    OpenAIRE

    Masoud Noshadi; Hosein Valizadeh

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: Soil salinity is one of the major limitations of agriculture in the warm and dry regions. Soil sodification also damages soil structure and reduce soil permeability. Therefore, control of soil salinity and sodium is very important. Vetiver grass has unique characteristics that can be useful in phytoremediation. Materials and Methods: This research was conducted to investigate the effects of irrigation with different salinities on vetiver grass and the effects of this plant o...

  12. Influence of salinity and water regime on tomato for processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vito Cantore

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available The effects of salinity and watering regime on tomato crop are reported. The trials have been carried out over two years in Southern Italy on a deep loam soil. Three saline levels of irrigation water (with electrical conductivity of 0.5, 5 and 10 dS m-1, three watering regimes (at 20, 40 and 60% of available water depletion, and two cultivars (HLY19 and Perfectpeel were compared. The overall results related to the salinity tolerance are in agreement with those from the literature indicating that water salinity reduced marketable yield by 55% in respect to the control treatments. The irrigation regimes that provided higher total and marketable yield were at 40 and 60% of available water depletion (on average, 90.5 and 58.1 Mg ha-1 against 85.3 and 55.5 Mg ha-1 of the 20% available water depletion. Saline and irrigation treatments did not affect sunburned fruits, while affected incidence of fruits with blossom-end rot. The former disease appeared more dramatically in saline treatments (+28% in respect to the control, and occurred mainly in HLY19. The disease incidence was by 52% lower in W2 respect to the W1 and W3. Fruit firmness was higher in S0, whereas it was not affected by irrigation regimes. Total soluble solids and dry matter content of tomato fruits were increased by salinity, whereas it was not affected by irrigation regimes and cultivars. The pH and the titratable acidity remained unchanged between the years, the cultivar and the saline and irrigation treatments. Similarly to the last parameters, the fruit ascorbic acid content remained unchanged in relation to the treatments, but it was higher in HLY19. The recommended thresholds of easily available water to preserve total and marketable yield were at 40 and 60%, respectively. Watering more frequently, instead, on the soil type of the trial, probably caused water-logging and root hypoxia affecting negatively yield.

  13. Use of Pre-Injection Diffusion of Local Anaesthetic as a Means of Reducing Needle Penetration Discomfort

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nuket Sandalli

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim: To determine if pre-injection diffusion of local anaesthetic solution influences the discomfort of needle penetration in the palate. Methods: A placebo-controlled, randomised, doubleblind split-mouth investigation was conducted. 25 healthy adult volunteers were recruited and each received two needle penetrations in a random order during one visit. The penetration sites were 1 cm from the gingival margin of the first maxillary premolars on each side of the mouth. 30 gauge-13 mm needles which were attached to syringes that contained either 2% lidocaine with 0.125mg/ml epinephrine or physiological saline were used. For each penetration an operator encouraged a drop of solution to appear at the end of the needle and placed this drop with the bevel of the needle flat on the palate for 20 seconds. The discomfort was noted on a 100 mm visual analogue scale with end points marked “No pain” and “Unbearable pain”. Results: There was no significant difference in penetration discomfort between solutions, (mean VAS = 26.80±19.36mm for lidocaine and 26.20±18.39mm for saline however the 2nd penetration was significantly more uncomfortable than the first (mean VAS = 31.00±19.84 mm and 22.00±16.65 mm respectively. Conclusion: Pre-injection diffusion of local anaesthetic solution did not influence the discomfort of needle penetration in the palate.

  14. Capsule-Preserving Hydrodilatation With Corticosteroid Versus Corticosteroid Injection Alone in Refractory Adhesive Capsulitis of Shoulder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Doo-Hyung; Yoon, Seung-Hyun; Lee, Michael Y; Kwack, Kyu-Sung; Rah, Ueon Woo

    2017-05-01

    To determine whether capsule-preserved hydrodilatation with corticosteroid improves pain and function in patients with refractory adhesive capsulitis (AC) better than intra-articular corticosteroid injection (IACI) alone. Prospective randomized controlled study. University-affiliated tertiary care hospital. Subjects with primary AC (N=64) with shoulder pain level of visual analog scale (VAS) score ≥5, even after the initial administration of IACI alone. Participants randomly received ultrasound-guided IACI alone with 1mL of 40mg/mL triamcinolone acetonide and 3mL of 1% lidocaine (n=32) or ultrasound-guided capsule-preserved hydrodilatation with corticosteroid with a mixture of 1mL of 40mg/mL triamcinolone acetonide, 6mL of 1% lidocaine, and normative saline (n=32). The primary outcome measure was the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index score. Secondary outcomes were the VAS of shoulder pain level and angles of shoulder passive range of motion, including flexion, abduction, extension, external rotation, and internal rotation at pretreatment and weeks 3, 6, and 12 of posttreatment. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of demographic characteristics (age, sex, duration of symptoms, shoulder affected, and body mass index) at baseline. Repeated-measures analysis of variance showed significant effect of time in all outcome measurements in both groups. However, group-by-time interactions were not significantly different for any of the outcomes between groups. This study shows that compared with pretreatment, all outcome measures improved significantly in both groups by time; however, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups. Therefore, we recommend IACI alone over capsule-preserved hydrodilatation with corticosteroid when considering the corticosteroid injection as a secondary option after the initial IACI fails to improve symptoms for patients with refractory AC. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation

  15. Monitoring of the microbial community composition of the saline aquifers during CO2 storage by fluorescence in situ hybridisation

    OpenAIRE

    Daria Morozova; M. Wandrey; Mashal Alawi; Martin Zimmer; Andrea Vieth-Hillebrand [Vieth; M. Zettlitzer; Hilke Würdemann

    2010-01-01

    This study reveals the first analyses of the composition and activity of the microbial community of a saline CO2 storage aquifer. Microbial monitoring during CO2 injection has been reported. By using fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH), we have shown that the microbial community was strongly influenced by the CO2 injection. Before CO2 arrival, up to 6 × 106 cells ml−1 were detected by DAPI staining at a depth of 647 m below the surface. The microbial community was dominated by the dom...

  16. Assessment of Salinity Effect on Germination, Growth and Yield of Solanum lycopersicum (L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joshua D. BUAH

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This study was aimed at unraveling the morphological effect of salinity on germination, growth and yield of S. lycopersicum, through inducement of salinity (0, 4, 6, 8, and 10 g NaCl. All the parameters considered: germination percentage, leaves number, stem girth, plant height and fruit quality, were significantly affected by NaCl treatments (salinity compared with the control (no salinity. 100% germination was recorded only in control and 4 g NaCl concentration, though the percentage of germination was faster in control than within the 4 g NaCl. ‘Tomato UC-83-B’ plants’ growth till maturity, shed leaves, chlorosis and leaf burns around edges occurred due to osmotic imbalance and water deficit caused by salinity, which invariably had effect on leaf area, although the reduction in leaf area varied among tested NaCl concentrations. Fruits yield and quality of ‘Tomato UC-83-B’ treated with NaCl was poor and relative to the degree of saline inducements, with 10 g NaCl treatment producing the least fruits. Chlorophyll contents were also significantly reduced by increasing saline concentrations. Ca and K were the predominant elements found in the digested fruit samples observed under Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS at different NaCl concentrations, while Mg, Na and P were significantly less. Salinity is a major abiotic factor that hampered the overall performance of tomato crop in salient ways and must therefore be curbed in order to meet its increasing global demand.

  17. Effects of salinity and ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (edta) on the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In this study, the effects of the combined treatment of salinity and ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) on the germination of tomato seeds in Petri-dishes were compared to sole salinity. The treatments consisted of seven concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCL): 0 (control), 10, 50, 100, 250, 500 and 1000 mM.

  18. Discriminative stimulus properties and brain distribution of phencyclidine in rats following administration by injection and smoke inhalation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wessinger, W.D.; Martin, B.R.; Balster, R.L.

    1985-01-01

    Four male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate IP injections of 3.0 mg/kg phencyclidine (PCP) from saline under a 2-lever fixed-ratio 32 schedule of food presentation. After reliable discriminative control of lever choice was established, other doses of injected PCP were tested resulting in dose-dependent increases in PCP-lever selection and dose-dependent decreases in rates of responding. When doses of PCP were administered by exposure to smoke from cigarettes containing PCP, a dose-dependent increase in PCP-lever responding was also observed. delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol administered via smoke exposure, up to doses which markedly suppressed response rates, did not result in PCP-appropriate responding, demonstrating the specificity of the PCP stimulus by the inhalation route. Brain levels and distribution of 3 H-PCP were determined in rats administered doses calculated to result in 50% generalization by the IP injection or smoke inhalation routes. By both routes of administration roughly equivalent brain levels were attained and the distribution was relatively even across the seven brain areas analyzed. These results demonstrate the validity of using the injection route of administration when studying PCP experimentally, in spite of the fact that PCP is abused primarily by smoking

  19. Process and part filling control in micro injection molding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tosello, Guido; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; Schoth, Andreas

    2008-01-01

    The influence of process parameters on μ-injection molding (μIM) and on μ-injection molded parts has been investigated using Design of Experiments. A mold with a sensor applied at injection location was used to monitor actual injection pressure and to determine the cavity filling time. Flow markers...... position was measured on the polymer μ-parts to evaluate filling behavior of the polymer melt flowing through μ-features. Experimental results obtained under different processing conditions were evaluated to correlate the process parameter levels influence on the selected responses. Results showed...... that the injection speed in one of the most influencing process parameters on the μIM process and on the μ-parts filling....

  20. Salinity and cationic nature of irrigation water on castor bean cultivation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geovani S. de Lima

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the water relations, cell damage percentage and growth of the castor bean cv. ‘BRS Energia’ as a function of salinity and cationic nature of the water used in irrigation. The experiment was conducted in drainage lysimeters under greenhouse conditions in eutrophic Grey Argisol of sandy loam texture. Six combinations of water salinity and cations were studied (S1 - Control; S2 - Na+, S3 - Ca2+, S4 - Na+ + Ca2+; S5 - K+ and S6 - Na+ + Ca2+ + Mg2+, in a randomized block design with four replicates. In the control (S1, plants were irrigated with 0.6 dS m-1 water, whereas the other treatments received 4.5 dS m-1 water, obtained by adding different salts, all in the chloride form. Higher relative water content in the leaf blade of plants irrigated with K+-salinized water associated with leaf succulence are indicative of tolerance of the castor bean cv. ‘BRS Energia’ to salinity. Saline stress negatively affected castor bean growth, regardless of cationic nature of water. Among the ions studied, ‘BRS Energia’ castor bean was more sensitive to the presence of sodium in the irrigation water, in terms of both water relations and leaf succulence.

  1. Acupuncture Injection Combined with Electrokinetic Injection for Polydimethylsiloxane Microfluidic Devices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ji Won Ha

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We recently reported acupuncture sample injection that leads to reproducible injection of nL-scale sample segments into a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS microchannel for microchip capillary electrophoresis. The advantages of the acupuncture injection in microchip capillary electrophoresis include capability of minimizing sample loss and voltage control hardware and capability of introducing sample plugs into any desired position of a microchannel. However, the challenge in the previous study was to achieve reproducible, pL-scale sample injections into PDMS microchannels. In the present study, we introduce an acupuncture injection technique combined with electrokinetic injection (AICEI technique to inject pL-scale sample segments for microchip capillary electrophoresis. We carried out the capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE separation of FITC and fluorescein, and the mixture of 10 μM FITC and 10 μM fluorescein was separated completely by using the AICEI method.

  2. Externally Controlled Injection of Electrons by a Laser Pulse in a Laser Wakefield Electron Accelerator

    CERN Document Server

    Chen Szu Yuan; Chen Wei Ting; Chien, Ting-Yei; Lee, Chau-Hwang; Lin, Jiunn-Yuan; Wang, Jyhpyng

    2005-01-01

    Spatially and temporally localized injection of electrons is a key element for development of plasma-wave electron accelerator. Here we report the demonstration of two different schemes for electron injection in a self-modulated laser wakefield accelerator (SM-LWFA) by using a laser pulse. In the first scheme, by implementing a copropagating laser prepulse with proper timing, we are able to control the growth of Raman forward scattering and the production of accelerated electrons. We found that the stimulated Raman backward scattering of the prepulse plays the essential role of injecting hot electrons into the fast plasma wave driven by the pump pulse. In the second scheme, by using a transient density ramp we achieve self-injection of electrons in a SM-LWFA with spatial localization. The transient density ramp is produced by a prepulse propagating transversely to drill a density depression channel via ionization and expansion. The same mechanism of injection with comparable efficiency is also demonstrated wi...

  3. Particles and solutes migration in porous medium : radionuclides and clayey particles simultaneous transport under the effect of a salinity gradient; Migration de particules et de solutes en milieu poreux : modelisation du transport simultane de particules argileuses et de radionucleides sous l`effet d`un gradient de salinite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Faure, M H

    1994-03-29

    This work deals with the radiation protection of high-level and long-life radioactive waste storages. The colloids presence in ground waters can accelerate the radionuclides migration in natural geological deposits. The aim of this thesis is then to control particularly the particles motion in porous medium in order to anticipate quantitatively their migration. Liquid chromatography columns are filled with a clayey sand and fed with a decreasing concentration sodium chloride solution in order to study the particles outlet under a salinity gradient. When the porous medium undergoes a decrease of salinity it deteriorates. The adsorption of the cations : sodium 22, calcium 45, cesium 137 and neptunium 237 is then studied by the ions exchange method. The radionuclide solution is injected before the decrease of the feed solution salinity. The decrease of the sodium chloride concentration leads to the decrease of the radionuclides concentration because the adsorption competition between the sodium ion and the injected cation is lower. The particles transport, without fouling of the porous medium, is carried out in particular physical and chemical conditions which are described. (O.L.). 71 refs., 105 figs., 26 tabs.

  4. [Application of nested case-control study on safe evaluation of post-marketing traditional Chinese medicine injection].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Ying; Zhao, Yubin; Xie, Yanming

    2011-10-01

    The nested case-control study design (or the case-control in a cohort study) is described here as a new study design used in safe evaluation of post-marketing traditional Chinese medicine injection. In the nested case-control study, cases of a disease that occur in a defined cohort are identified and, for each, a specified number of matched controls is selected from among those in the cohort who have not developed the disease by the time of disease occurrence in the case. For many research questions, the nested case-control design potentially offers impressive reductions in costs and efforts of data collection and analysis compared with the full cohort approach, with relatively minor loss in statistical efficiency. The nested case-control design is particularly advantageous for studies in safe evaluation of post-marketing traditional Chinese medicine injection. Some examples of the application of nested case-control study were given.

  5. Effect of Different Alternate Irrigation Strategies using Saline and Non-Saline Water on Corn Yield, Salinity and Moisture Distribution in Soil Profile

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Reza Kiani

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Lack of water and deterioration in the quality of soil and water resources are considered to be the prime cause of reduced crop yield in arid and semi-arid regions ‘More crop per drop’ by trickle irrigation, deficit irrigation, and uncommon water are the best strategies for mitigating water crises. Different irrigation management strategies are needed to increase production in different areas. In areas where sufficient water is available, a full irrigation strategy could be a suitable option, while in areas where water is limited, deficit irrigation would be an appropriate method, and finally in areas where water resources are saline, management strategies for achieving sustainable production as well as economic yields would be suitable. Maize is the third most important grain crop in the world following wheat and rice and it is the main source of nutrition for humans and animals. Because of the importance of maize in the world, increasing maize production under environmental stresses is a big challenge for agricultural scientists. Different methods of irrigation and the use of saline water that had satisfactory results for increasing agricultural production have been studied by several investigators . The main objective of this study was to establish an efficient use of limited water resources as well as to explore the possibility of replacing saline water with fresh water using different management techniques. Materials and Methods: A field experiment was conducted over two maize cropping seasons (2012–2013 in northern Iran (Gorgan Agricultural Research Station to compare different alternate irrigation scenarios using saline water on corn yield, salinity and soil moisture distribution in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments were: T1 and T2 = 100 and 50 % of crop water requirement with non-saline water, respectively; T3 and T4 = variable and fixed full irrigation with saline and non-saline

  6. The effect of silver nitrate, chloroformic garlic extract and normal saline in induction of sclerosing cholangitis in rabbits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hosseni, Seyed V.; Mohebzadeh, J.; Mehrabani, D.; Amini, M.; Kumar, Perikala V.; Bagheri, Mohammad H.; Sadjjadi, Seyed M.; Amini, A.

    2008-01-01

    Objective was to the effects of 0.5% silver nitrate, 20% chloroformic garlic extract and 0.9% normal saline in induction of sclerosing cholangitis in the bile ducts of rabbits. During a 6-months period from April to September 2006 in Shiraz University Laboratory Animal Research Center, we selected 3 equal groups of rabbits. We injected 0.5% silver nitrate, 20% chloroformic garlic extract and 0.9% normal saline into the bile ducts of each group. The animals were euthanized and autopsied after 4 months and the liver and bile ducts were removed and studied histopathologically. Cholangiography was undertaken to evaluate the presence and extent of any sclerosing cholangitis. Animals showed sclerosing cholangitis in silver nitrate group (7 [58%]), one (8%) in chloroformic garlic extract group and one (7%) in normal saline group. The difference between silver nitrate and chloroformic garlic extract groups were statistically significant and similar results were noticed between chloroformic garlic extract and normal saline groups. Twenty percent of chloroformic garlic extract had fewer complications such as sclerosing cholangitis, compared to other materials. (author)

  7. Ultrastructure of canine meninges after repeated epidural injection of S(+)-ketamine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acosta, Alinne; Gomar, Carmen; Bombí, Josep A; Graça, Dominguita L; Garrido, Marta; Krauspenhar, Cristina

    2006-01-01

    The safety of ketamine when administered by the spinal route must be confirmed in various animal species before it is approved for use in humans. This study evaluates the ultrastructure of canine meninges after repeated doses of epidural S(+)-ketamine. Five dogs received S(+)-ketamine 5%, 1 mg/kg, twice a day for 10 days through an epidural catheter with its tip located at the L5 level. One dog received the same volume of normal saline at the same times. The spinal cord and meninges were processed for histopathological and ultrastructural studies. Clinical effects were assessed after each injection. Motor and sensory block appeared after each injection of S(+)-ketamine, but not in the dog receiving saline. No signs of clinical or neurologic alterations were observed. Using light microscopy, no meningeal layer showed alterations except focal infiltration at the catheter tip level by macrophages, lymphocytes, and a few mast cells. The cells of different layers were studied by electron microscopy and interpreted according to data from human and other animal species because no ultrastructural description of the canine meninges is currently available. There were no cellular signs of inflammation, phagocytosis, or degeneration in meningeal layers and no signs of atrophy, compression, or demyelinization in the areas of dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord around the arachnoid. These findings were common for dogs receiving S(+)-ketamine and the dog receiving saline. Repeated doses of epidural S(+)-ketamine 5%, 1 mg/kg, twice a day for 10 days was not associated to cellular alterations in canine meninges.

  8. Injectable barriers for waste isolation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Persoff, P.; Finsterle, S.; Moridis, G.J.; Apps, J.; Pruess, K.; Muller, S.J.

    1995-03-01

    In this paper the authors report laboratory work and numerical simulation done in support of development and demonstration of injectable barriers formed from either of two fluids: colloidal silica or polysiloxane. Two principal problems addressed here are control of gel time and control of plume emplacement in the vadose zone. Gel time must be controlled so that the viscosity of the barrier fluid remains low long enough to inject the barrier, but increases soon enough to gel the barrier in place. During injection, the viscosity must be low enough to avoid high injection pressures which could uplift or fracture the formation. To test the grout gel time in the soil, the injection pressure was monitored as grouts were injected into sandpacks. When grout is injected into the vadose zone, it slumps under the influence of gravity, and redistributes due to capillary forces as it gels. The authors have developed a new module for the reservoir simulator TOUGH2 to model grout injection into the vadose zone, taking into account the increase of liquid viscosity as a function of gel concentration and time. They have also developed a model to calculate soil properties after complete solidification of the grout. The numerical model has been used to design and analyze laboratory experiments and field pilot tests. The authors present the results of computer simulations of grout injection, redistribution, and solidification

  9. The Effects of Salinity on Nitrogen Losses from an Oligohaline Estuarine Sediment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Giblin, Anne E.; Weston, Nathaniel B.; Banta, Gary Thomas

    2010-01-01

    Benthic respiration, sediment–water nutrient fluxes, denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) were measured in the upper section of the Parker River Estuary from 1993 to 2006. This site experiences large changes in salinity over both short and long time scales....... Sediment respiration ranged from 6 to 52 mmol m−2 day−1 and was largely controlled by temperature. Nutrient fluxes were dominated by ammonium fluxes, which ranged from a small uptake of −0.3 to an efflux of over 8.2 mmol N m−2 day−1. Ammonium fluxes were most highly correlated with salinity and laboratory...... related to salinity, ranging from 1 mmol m−2 day−1 during the spring and fall to less than 0.2 mmol m−2 day−1 in late summer. Salinity appears to exert a major control on the nitrogen cycle at this site, and partially decouples sediment ammonium fluxes from organic matter decomposition....

  10. Remote Power Control Injection of Grid-Connected Power Converters Based on Virtual Flux

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nurul Fazlin Roslan

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Renewable Energy Source (RES-based power plants need to control the active and reactive power at the Point of Common Connection (PCC with the grid, in order to comply with the requirements of the Transmission System Operators (TSOs. This point is normally far away from the power converter station, and the cables and step-up transformers have a non-neglectable influence on the delivered power. In order to overcome this drawback, this paper presents a control algorithm that permits one to control remotely the power injected at the PCC, by adjusting the local controller of the Voltage Source Converters (VSCs. In this work, the synchronization with the grid is done based on the Virtual Flux (VF concept. The results reveals that the VF estimation is able to produce a reliable estimation of the grid voltage in any point of the network, and makes it possible to calculate the necessary current reference for injecting a desired active and reactive power at a point that can be some kilometres away. In this paper the main principle for this remote power control is presented. Likewise, the simulation and experimental results will be shown in order to analyse the effectiveness of the proposed system.

  11. Metabolomics of the aqueous humor in the rat glaucoma model induced by a series of intracamerular sodium hyaluronate injection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayordomo-Febrer, A; López-Murcia, M; Morales-Tatay, J M; Monleón-Salvado, D; Pinazo-Durán, M D

    2015-02-01

    Glaucoma models are helpful to study disease characteristics and to design new therapeutic options. Metabolomic profiling approach have been used to elucidating the molecular characteristics of the aqueous humor. Juvenile male Wistar rats experimental (n = 15) and controls (n = 6) were used for these studies. Experimental rats received weekly intracamerular injection of 25 µl of sodium hyaluronate in the left eye and sterile saline solution in the right eye, consecutively for ten weeks. Rats were subjected to anterior/posterior eye segment examinations, intraocular pressure (IOP), and flash electroretinograms (ERG). The aqueous humor was collected at endpoints and analyzed by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Elevated IOP and significant reduction of a, b waves and amplitude of oscillatory potential was observed in the left eyes compared to control eyes. The aqueous humor metabolomic profile from control and the experimental eyes were compared. Concentrations of metabolites (amino acids, lipids and carbohydrates) significantly changed after the sodium hyaluronate injections series, compared to the sham-operated eyes. Metabolic changes in the hypertensive eyes correlated with the impaired retinal function. Observed metabolomic changes in aqueous humor in hypertensive state may play a significant role in glaucoma pathogenesis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Effects of the amplitude and frequency of salinity fluctuations on antioxidant responses in juvenile tongue sole, Cynoglossus semilaevis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khairnar, S.A.; Tian, X.; Dong, S.; Fang, Z.; Solanki, B.V.; Shanthanagouda, H.A.

    2016-11-01

    To understand the tolerance of tongue sole, Cynoglossus semilaevis, to varying salinities, the effects of the amplitude (2, 4, 6 and 8 g/L) and frequency (2, 4 and 8 days) of salinity fluctuations on the activities of antioxidant responses, including acidic phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) from antioxidant system in liver, muscle, gills and kidney were investigated in this study. The results showed that the antioxidant responses of tongue sole were highly tissue-specific during the varying salinity fluctuations. In all tissues, ACP and AKP activity was found to be highest at moderate salinity fluctuations compared to the control, low and high salinity treatments (p<0.05). SOD and CAT activities had significant effect due to salinity fluctuations in all tissues (p<0.05), except in hepatic and renal tissues. Variations in branchial SOD activity proved that salinity fluctuations had greater impact on tongue sole at moderate and high fluctuating salinities compared to the control and low fluctuating salinities, whereas the branchial CAT activities showed contrasting trend. Further, cortisol levels were significantly affected in lower and higher salinity fluctuations. However, plasma cortisol levels remained low in moderate salinity fluctuations and control (p<0.05). Taken together, the results indicated that salinity fluctuations could effectively stimulate and enhance the antioxidant enzyme activity in the liver, kidney, gills and muscle of the juvenile tongue sole, thus effectively eliminating the excessive reactive oxygen species and minimizing the body damage in tongue sole or could be for any other euryhaline teleosts. (Author)

  13. Study Protocol- Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injections for Spinal Stenosis (LESS: a double-blind randomized controlled trial of epidural steroid injections for lumbar spinal stenosis among older adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Friedly Janna L

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Lumbar spinal stenosis is one of the most common causes of low back pain among older adults and can cause significant disability. Despite its prevalence, treatment of spinal stenosis symptoms remains controversial. Epidural steroid injections are used with increasing frequency as a less invasive, potentially safer, and more cost-effective treatment than surgery. However, there is a lack of data to judge the effectiveness and safety of epidural steroid injections for spinal stenosis. We describe our prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial that tests the hypothesis that epidural injections with steroids plus local anesthetic are more effective than epidural injections of local anesthetic alone in improving pain and function among older adults with lumbar spinal stenosis. Methods We will recruit up to 400 patients with lumbar central canal spinal stenosis from at least 9 clinical sites over 2 years. Patients with spinal instability who require surgical fusion, a history of prior lumbar surgery, or prior epidural steroid injection within the past 6 months are excluded. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either ESI with local anesthetic or the control intervention (epidural injections with local anesthetic alone. Subjects receive up to 2 injections prior to the primary endpoint at 6 weeks, at which time they may choose to crossover to the other intervention. Participants complete validated, standardized measures of pain, functional disability, and health-related quality of life at baseline and at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3, 6, and 12 months after randomization. The primary outcomes are Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and a numerical rating scale measure of pain intensity at 6 weeks. In order to better understand their safety, we also measure cortisol, HbA1c, fasting blood glucose, weight, and blood pressure at baseline, and at 3 and 6 weeks post-injection. We also obtain data on resource utilization

  14. Oxidative stress responses in gills of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) at different salinities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handayani, Kiki Syaputri; Novianty, Zahra; Saputri, Miftahul Rohmah; Irawan, Bambang; Soegianto, Agoes

    2017-08-01

    The objective of present study is to evaluate the impact of different salinities on the levels of CAT, GSH and MDA of the gills of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Nile tilapia was treated by exposure to salinities concentration 0 ‰, 5 ‰ and 10 ‰. Research models were weakened and sacrificed, then took the left and right sides of the gills. The result of gills homogenity was centrifuged for supernatan, then supernatan was proceed with testing levels of CAT, GSH and MDA by ELISA assay methods. The levels of CAT in gills were significantly higher at 10 ‰ than at 5 ‰ and 0 ‰. The levels of GSH in gills were significantly higher at 0 ‰ than 5 ‰. The levels of GSH in gills at 5 ‰ and 10 ‰ salinities were not significantly different. The levels of MDA in gills at salinity 10 ‰ and 5 ‰ were higher than in control gills at 0 ‰ salinities. This occurs because the salinity of 10 ‰ salinity was optimal for live of fish tilapia. In conclusion, salinity impact the increasing of CAT, GSH, and MDA levels in gills of Nile tilapia.

  15. Adopting adequate leaching requirement for practical response models of basil to salinity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babazadeh, Hossein; Tabrizi, Mahdi Sarai; Darvishi, Hossein Hassanpour

    2016-07-01

    Several mathematical models are being used for assessing plant response to salinity of the root zone. Objectives of this study included quantifying the yield salinity threshold value of basil plants to irrigation water salinity and investigating the possibilities of using irrigation water salinity instead of saturated extract salinity in the available mathematical models for estimating yield. To achieve the above objectives, an extensive greenhouse experiment was conducted with 13 irrigation water salinity levels, namely 1.175 dS m-1 (control treatment) and 1.8 to 10 dS m-1. The result indicated that, among these models, the modified discount model (one of the most famous root water uptake model which is based on statistics) produced more accurate results in simulating the basil yield reduction function using irrigation water salinities. Overall the statistical model of Steppuhn et al. on the modified discount model and the math-empirical model of van Genuchten and Hoffman provided the best results. In general, all of the statistical models produced very similar results and their results were better than math-empirical models. It was also concluded that if enough leaching was present, there was no significant difference between the soil salinity saturated extract models and the models using irrigation water salinity.

  16. Coordinated Control of Multiterminal DC Grid Power Injections for Improved Rotor-Angle Stability Based on Lyapunov Theory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eriksson, Robert

    2014-01-01

    The stability of an interconnected ac/dc system is affected by disturbances occurring in the system. Disturbances, such as three-phase faults, may jeopardize the rotor-angle stability and, thus, the generators fall out of synchronism. The possibility of fast change of the injected powers...... by the multiterminal dc grid can, by proper control action, enhance this stability. This paper proposes a new time optimal control strategy for the injected power of multiterminal dc grids to enhance the rotor-angle stability. The controller is time optimal, since it reduces the impact of a disturbance as fast...

  17. Using Oil and Gas Well Log Records to Understand Possible Connections Between Wastewater Injection Zones and Usable Groundwater Aquifers in California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimabukuro, D.; Haugen, E. A.; Battistella, C.; Treguboff, E. W.; Kale, J. M.

    2015-12-01

    Although the disposal of produced water in wastewater injection wells has been occurring in California for decades, it is not clear whether injected fluids may be migrating into usable groundwater aquifers. One problem is the poor characterization of federally-protected (oil and gas well records collected by the California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR). These scanned records contain two useful sources of information. First, geophysical well logs, such those measuring resistivity and porosity, can be used to determine aquifer salinity. This allows a three-dimensional understanding of the distribution of protected groundwater. Second, driller's logs contain lithological descriptions at depth. These lithologies can be used to construct a three-dimensional texture model, which can then be used in a groundwater flow model. A large number of undergraduate researchers at CSU Sacramento and CSU Long Beach have been collecting information on well records in the Ventura Basin and the Southern San Joaquin Valley. Each well record is examined with basic metadata entered into an online database in an effort to identify appropriate geophysical well logs and driller's logs. High-quality driller's logs are coded and used to create three-dimensional framework models for each well field. The geophysical logs are digitized and will be used to determine aquifer salinity. In addition, we are using information from the DOGGR well records to investigate wellbore integrity, waste disposal and waterflood injection volumes, and the possibility of induced seismicity. This project is part of the broader effort of the California State Water Resources Control Board to implement Senate Bill 4.

  18. Fonctionnement transitoire et controle de la richesse des moteurs à allumage commandé à injection multipoint Transient Operation and Air-Fuel Ratio Control of Spark-Ignition Port-Injected Engines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Le Moyne L.

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Sur les moteurs à allumage commandé à injection multipoint on observe des désadaptations de richesse lors de fonctionnement transitoire. Ces désadaptations sont dues au dépôt, sous forme de film liquide, du carburant injecté dans le collecteur. Elles peuvent être compensées par une gestion adéquate de la masse injectée. Ainsi, afin d'obtenir la masse de carburant qui maintient la richesse constante, nous avons développé un modèle bidimensionnel des écoulements dans le collecteur au cours du cycle moteur. Ce modèle décrit l'écoulement des gaz frais, des gouttes injectées, des gaz brûlés refoulés vers l'admission et du film sur les parois, sur le principe de la séparation des phases. Nous montrons que le modèle reproduit correctement le signal de richesse et comment il permet de supprimer les désadaptations. La mesure de richesse est faite à l'échappement avec une sonde à oxygène dont nous validons le fonctionnement en transitoire avec une corrélation à la pression maximale du cycle dans le cylindre. Air-fuel ratio excursions are observed on port-injected spark ignition engines during transients. This excursions result from the liquid fuel film deposited on intake port. They can be compensated by controlling the injected fuel mass. In order to have the amount of fuel that keeps air-fuel ratio constant, we have developed a 2D model of flows in the intake port during engine cycle. This separate phases model describes the flow of fresh gases, injected droplets, hot burned gases and film on port walls. We show that the model effectively predicts the equivalence ratio and how it allows to eliminate excursions. Equivalence ratio measures are made with an oxygen sensor which functioning is validated during transients by correlating it to maximal pressure during engine cycle.

  19. Influence of NaCl salinity on growth analysis of strawberry cv. Camarosa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Mirdehghan

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available In order to study of salinity effect on growth analysis of strawberry, a greenhouse experiment was conducted in Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan in 2010. This study was carried out RCBD design with 4 replications to determine the influence of salinity (30, 60, 90 Mmol and control with distilled water on strawberry growth analysis. Results indicated that relative growth rate (RGR, crop growth rate (CGR, leaf area ratio (LAR and dry matter accumulation were decreased with increasing salinity. The lowest RGR, CGR and LAR were observed in 90 Mmol NaCl salinity. Results also indicated that maximum dry matter accumulations were observed in 1050, 1200 and 1400 degree days in 30, 60 and 90 Mmol NaCl salinity, respectively. Water salinity more than 30 Mmol NaCl L-1 will decreased fresh fruit yield more than 50 percent in hydroponics strawberry production. Dry mass partitioning in NaCl-stressed plants was in favor of crown and petioles and at expense of root, stem and leaf whereas leaf, stem and root DM progressively declined with an increase in salinity.

  20. PET imaging of TSPO in a rat model of local neuroinflammation induced by intracerebral injection of lipopolysaccharide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ory, Dieter; Planas, Anna; Dresselaers, Tom; Gsell, Willy; Postnov, Andrey; Celen, Sofie; Casteels, Cindy; Himmelreich, Uwe; Debyser, Zeger; Van Laere, Koen; Verbruggen, Alfons; Bormans, Guy

    2015-01-01

    Objective: The goal of this study was to measure functional and structural aspects of local neuroinflammation induced by intracerebral injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in rats using TSPO microPET imaging with [ 18 F]DPA-714, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in vitro autoradiography and immunohistochemistry (IHC) in order to characterize a small animal model for screening of new PET tracers targeting neuroinflammation. Methods: Rats were injected stereotactically with LPS (50 μg) in the right striatum and with saline in the left striatum. [ 18 F]DPA-714 microPET, MRI, in vitro autoradiography and IHC studies were performed at different time points after LPS injection for 1 month. Results: Analysis of the microPET data demonstrated high uptake of the tracer in the LPS injected site with an affected-to-non-affected side-binding potential ratio (BP right-to-left ) of 3.0 at 3 days after LPS injection. This BP ratio decreased gradually over time to 0.9 at 30 days after LPS injection. In vitro autoradiography ([ 18 F]DPA-714) and IHC (CD68, GFAP and TSPO) confirmed local neuroinflammation in this model. Dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI demonstrated BBB breakdown near the LPS injection site at day 1, which gradually resolved over time and was absent at 1 month after LPS injection. Conclusion: The LPS model is useful for first screening of newly developed tracers because of the easy design and the robust, unilateral inflammatory reaction allowing the use of the contralateral region as control. Additionally, this model can be used to test and follow up the benefits of anti-inflammatory therapies by non-invasive imaging

  1. Identification and characterization of miRNAs and targets in flax (Linum usitatissimum) under saline, alkaline, and saline-alkaline stresses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Ying; Wu, Guangwen; Yuan, Hongmei; Cheng, Lili; Zhao, Dongsheng; Huang, Wengong; Zhang, Shuquan; Zhang, Liguo; Chen, Hongyu; Zhang, Jian; Guan, Fengzhi

    2016-05-27

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in responses to biotic and abiotic stress and have been characterized in a large number of plant species. Although flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is one of the most important fiber and oil crops worldwide, no reports have been published describing flax miRNAs (Lus-miRNAs) induced in response to saline, alkaline, and saline-alkaline stresses. In this work, combined small RNA and degradome deep sequencing was used to analyze flax libraries constructed after alkaline-salt stress (AS2), neutral salt stress (NSS), alkaline stress (AS), and the non-stressed control (CK). From the CK, AS, AS2, and NSS libraries, a total of 118, 119, 122, and 120 known Lus-miRNAs and 233, 213, 211, and 212 novel Lus-miRNAs were isolated, respectively. After assessment of differential expression profiles, 17 known Lus-miRNAs and 36 novel Lus-miRNAs were selected and used to predict putative target genes. Gene ontology term enrichment analysis revealed target genes that were involved in responses to stimuli, including signaling and catalytic activity. Eight Lus-miRNAs were selected for analysis using qRT-PCR to confirm the accuracy and reliability of the miRNA-seq results. The qRT-PCR results showed that changes in stress-induced expression profiles of these miRNAs mirrored expression trends observed using miRNA-seq. Degradome sequencing and transcriptome profiling showed that expression of 29 miRNA-target pairs displayed inverse expression patterns under saline, alkaline, and saline-alkaline stresses. From the target prediction analysis, the miR398a-targeted gene codes for a copper/zinc superoxide dismutase, and the miR530 has been shown to explicitly target WRKY family transcription factors, which suggesting that these two micRNAs and their targets may significant involve in the saline, alkaline, and saline-alkaline stress response in flax. Identification and characterization of flax miRNAs, their target genes, functional annotations, and gene

  2. Randomised controlled trial of local corticosteroid injections for de Quervain's tenosynovitis in general practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Groenier Klaas H

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background De Quervain's tenosynovitis is a stenosing tenosynovitis of the first dorsal compartment of the wrist and leads to wrist pain and to impaired function of the wrist and hand. It can be treated by splinting, local corticosteroid injection and operation. In this study effectiveness of local corticosteroid injections for de Quervain's tenosynovitis provided by general practitioners was assessed. Methods Participants with de Quervain's tenosynovitis were recruited by general practitioners. Short-term outcomes (one week after injections were assessed in a randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Long-term effectiveness was evaluated in an open prospective cohort-study of steroid responders during a follow-up period of 12 months. Participants were randomised to one or two local injections of 1 ml of triamcinolonacetonide (TCA or 1 ml of NaCl 0.9% (placebo. Non-responders to NaCl were treated with additional TCA injections. Main outcomes were immediate treatment response, severity of pain, improvement as perceived by participant and functional disability using sub items hand and finger function of the Dutch Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale (Dutch AIMS-2-HFF. Results 11 general practitioners included 21 wrists in 21 patients. The TCA-group had better results for short-term outcomes treatment response (78% vs. 25%; p = 0.015, perceived improvement (78% vs. 33%; p = 0.047 and severity of pain (4.27 vs. 1.33; p = 0.031 but not for the Dutch-AIMS-HFF (2.71 vs. 1.92; p = 0.112. Absolute risk reduction for the main outcome short-term treatment response was 0.55 (95% CI: 0.34, 0.76 with a number needed to treat of 2 (95% CI: 1, 3. In the cohort of steroid responders (n = 12 the beneficial effects of steroid injections were sustained during the follow-up of 12 months regarding severity of pain (p = 0.67 and scores of Dutch AIMS-2-HFF (p = 0.36, but not for patient perceived improvement (p = 0.02. No adverse events were observed during the 12

  3. Non-injection Drug Use and Injection Initiation Assistance among People Who Inject Drugs in Tijuana, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben Hamida, Amen; Rafful, Claudia; Jain, Sonia; Sun, Shelly; Gonzalez-Zuniga, Patricia; Rangel, Gudelia; Strathdee, Steffanie A; Werb, Dan

    2018-02-01

    Although most people who inject drugs (PWID) report receiving assistance during injection initiation events, little research has focused on risk factors among PWID for providing injection initiation assistance. We therefore sought to determine the influence of non-injection drug use among PWID on their risk to initiate others. We used generalized estimating equation (GEE) models on longitudinal data among a prospective cohort of PWID in Tijuana, Mexico (Proyecto El Cuete IV), while controlling for potential confounders. At baseline, 534 participants provided data on injection initiation assistance. Overall, 14% reported ever initiating others, with 4% reporting this behavior recently (i.e., in the past 6 months). In a multivariable GEE model, recent non-injection drug use was independently associated with providing injection initiation assistance (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.39-4.20). Further, in subanalyses examining specific drug types, recent non-injection use of cocaine (AOR = 9.31, 95% CI = 3.98-21.78), heroin (AOR = 4.00, 95% CI = 1.88-8.54), and methamphetamine (AOR = 2.03, 95% CI = 1.16-3.55) were all significantly associated with reporting providing injection initiation assistance. Our findings may have important implications for the development of interventional approaches to reduce injection initiation and related harms. Further research is needed to validate findings and inform future approaches to preventing entry into drug injecting.

  4. Continuous recording of excretory water loss from Musca domestica using a flow-through humidity meter: hormonal control of diuresis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coast, Geoffrey M

    2004-05-01

    Water loss from adult male houseflies was continuously recorded using a flow-through humidity meter, which enabled losses to be apportioned between the sum of cuticular and respiratory transpiration, salivation and excretion. Transpiration accounted for >95% of water lost from sham-injected flies, compared with excretion (3.0%) and salivation (2.4%). In contrast, excretion accounted for 40% of water lost from flies injected with > or =3 microl of saline, whereas salivary losses were unchanged. Saline injections (1-5 microl) expanded the abdomen in the dorsal-ventral plane, and this expansion was positively correlated with the magnitude of the ensuing diuresis, suggesting the signal for diuretic hormone release originates from stretch receptors in abdominal tergal-sternal muscles. The effects of decapitation, severing the ventral nerve cord within the neck or ligaturing the neck, showed the head was needed to initiate and maintain diuresis, but was neither the source of diuretic hormone nor did it control the discharge of urine from the anus. These findings indicate the head is part of the neural-endocrine pathway between abdominal stretch receptors and sites for diuretic hormone release from the thoracic-abdominal ganglion mass. Evidence is presented for Musdo-K having a hormonal role in the control of diuresis, although other neuropeptides may also be implicated.

  5. Finding a solution: Heparinised saline versus normal saline in the maintenance of invasive arterial lines in intensive care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Everson, Matthew; Webber, Lucy; Penfold, Chris; Shah, Sanjoy; Freshwater-Turner, Dan

    2016-11-01

    We assessed the impact of heparinised saline versus 0.9% normal saline on arterial line patency. Maintaining the patency of arterial lines is essential for obtaining accurate physiological measurements, enabling blood sampling and minimising line replacement. Use of heparinised saline is associated with risks such as thrombocytopenia, haemorrhage and mis-selection. Historical studies draw variable conclusions but suggest that normal saline is at least as effective at maintaining line patency, although recent evidence has questioned this. We conducted a prospective analysis of the use of heparinised saline versus normal saline on unselected patients in the intensive care of our hospital. Data concerning duration of 471 lines insertion and reason for removal was collected. We found a higher risk of blockage for lines flushed with normal saline compared with heparinised saline (RR = 2.15, 95% CI 1.392-3.32, p  ≤ 0.001). Of the 56 lines which blocked initially (19 heparinised saline and 37 normal saline lines), 16 were replaced with new lines; 5 heparinised saline lines and 11 normal saline lines were reinserted; 5 of these lines subsequently blocked again, 3 of which were flushed with normal saline. Our study demonstrates a clinically important reduction in arterial line longevity due to blockages when flushed with normal saline compared to heparinised saline. We have determined that these excess blockages have a significant clinical impact with further lines being inserted after blockage, resulting in increased risks to patients, wasted time and cost of resources. Our findings suggest that the current UK guidance favouring normal saline flushes should be reviewed.

  6. Salinity in drinking water and the risk of (preeclampsia and gestational hypertension in coastal Bangladesh: a case-control study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aneire Ehmar Khan

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are among the leading causes of maternal and perinatal death in low-income countries, but the aetiology remains unclear. We investigated the relationship between salinity in drinking water and the risk of (preeclampsia and gestational hypertension in a coastal community. METHODS: A population-based case-control study was conducted in Dacope, Bangladesh among 202 pregnant women with (preeclampsia or gestational hypertension, enrolled from the community served by the Upazilla Health Complex, Dacope and 1,006 matched controls from the same area. Epidemiological and clinical data were obtained from all participants. Urinary sodium and sodium levels in drinking water were measured. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios, and 95% confidence intervals. FINDINGS: Drinking water sources had exceptionally high sodium levels (mean 516.6 mg/L, S.D 524.2. Women consuming tube-well (groundwater were at a higher disease risk than rainwater users (p900.01 mg/L, compared to <300 mg/L in drinking water (ORs 3.30 [95% CI 2.00-5.51], 4.40 [2.70-7.25] and 5.48 [3.30-9.11] (p-trend<0.001. Significant associations were seen for both (preeclampsia and gestational hypertension separately. INTERPRETATION: Salinity in drinking water is associated with increased risk of (preeclampsia and gestational hypertension in this population. Given that coastal populations in countries such as Bangladesh are confronted with high salinity exposure, which is predicted to further increase as a result of sea level rise and other environmental influences, it is imperative to develop and evaluate affordable approaches to providing water with low salt content.

  7. Managing salinity in Upper Colorado River Basin streams: Selecting catchments for sediment control efforts using watershed characteristics and random forests models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tillman, Fred; Anning, David W.; Heilman, Julian A.; Buto, Susan G.; Miller, Matthew P.

    2018-01-01

    Elevated concentrations of dissolved-solids (salinity) including calcium, sodium, sulfate, and chloride, among others, in the Colorado River cause substantial problems for its water users. Previous efforts to reduce dissolved solids in upper Colorado River basin (UCRB) streams often focused on reducing suspended-sediment transport to streams, but few studies have investigated the relationship between suspended sediment and salinity, or evaluated which watershed characteristics might be associated with this relationship. Are there catchment properties that may help in identifying areas where control of suspended sediment will also reduce salinity transport to streams? A random forests classification analysis was performed on topographic, climate, land cover, geology, rock chemistry, soil, and hydrologic information in 163 UCRB catchments. Two random forests models were developed in this study: one for exploring stream and catchment characteristics associated with stream sites where dissolved solids increase with increasing suspended-sediment concentration, and the other for predicting where these sites are located in unmonitored reaches. Results of variable importance from the exploratory random forests models indicate that no simple source, geochemical process, or transport mechanism can easily explain the relationship between dissolved solids and suspended sediment concentrations at UCRB monitoring sites. Among the most important watershed characteristics in both models were measures of soil hydraulic conductivity, soil erodibility, minimum catchment elevation, catchment area, and the silt component of soil in the catchment. Predictions at key locations in the basin were combined with observations from selected monitoring sites, and presented in map-form to give a complete understanding of where catchment sediment control practices would also benefit control of dissolved solids in streams.

  8. Saline instillation before tracheal suctioning decreases the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caruso, Pedro; Denari, Silvia; Ruiz, Soraia A L; Demarzo, Sergio E; Deheinzelin, Daniel

    2009-01-01

    To compare the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) with or without isotonic saline instillation before tracheal suctioning. As a secondary objective, we compared the incidence of endotracheal tube occlusion and atelectasis. Randomized clinical trial. The study was conducted in a medical surgical intensive care unit of an oncologic hospital. We selected consecutive patients needing mechanical ventilation for >72 hrs. Patients were allocated into two groups: a saline group that received instillation of 8 mL of saline before tracheal suctioning and a control group which did not. VAP was diagnosed based on clinical suspicion and confirmed by bronchoalveolar lavage quantitative culture. The incidence of atelectasis on daily chest radiography and endotracheal tube occlusions were recorded. The sample size was calculated to a power of 80% and a type I error probability of 5%. One hundred thirty patients were assigned to the saline group and 132 to the control group. The baseline demographic variables were similar between groups. The rate of clinically suspected VAP was similar in both groups. The incidence of microbiological proven VAP was significantly lower in the saline group (23.5% x 10.8%; p = 0.008) (incidence density/1.000 days of ventilation 21.22 x 9.62; p < 0.01). Using the Kaplan-Meier curve analysis, the proportion of patients remaining without VAP was higher in the saline group (p = 0.02, log-rank test). The relative risk reduction of VAP in the saline instillation group was 54% (95% confidence interval, 18%-74%) and the number needed to treat was eight (95% confidence interval, 5-27). The incidence of atelectases and endotracheal tube occlusion were similar between groups. Instillation of isotonic saline before tracheal suctioning decreases the incidence of microbiological proven VAP.

  9. The safety and clinical efficacy of recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor injection for colon cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jie Chen

    Full Text Available Summary Objective: The present study was designed to evaluate safety and efficacy of recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF injection and whether this regimen could reduce the incidence of adverse events caused by chemotherapy. Method: A total of 100 patients with colon cancer who were treated with chemotherapy in our hospital from January 2011 to December 2014 were randomly divided into two groups, with 50 patients in each group. The patients in the treatment group received G-CSF 24 hours after chemotherapy for consecutive three days; the patients in the control group received the same dose of normal saline. Routine blood tests were performed 7 days and 14 days after chemotherapy. Results: Compared with the control group, the incidences of febrile neutropenia and leukocytopenia in the treatment group were significantly lower (p<0.05. In addition, the incidence of liver dysfunction in the treatment group was lower than that of the control group, without statistical significance. The incidence of myalgia in the treatment was higher than that of the control group without statistical significance. Conclusion: The present study indicated that G-CSF injection after chemotherapy is safe and effective for preventing adverse events in colon cancer patients with chemotherapy.

  10. Saline catholytes as alternatives to phosphate buffers in microbial fuel cells

    KAUST Repository

    Ahn, Yongtae; Logan, Bruce E.

    2013-01-01

    Highly saline solutions were examined as alternatives to chemical buffers in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The performance of two-chamber MFCs with different concentrations of saline solutions in the cathode chamber was compared to those with a buffered catholyte (50mM PBS). The use of a NaCl catholyte improved the CE to 43-60% (28% with no membrane) due to a reduction in oxygen transfer into the anolyte. The saline catholyte also reduced the membrane and solution resistance to 23Ω (41Ω without a membrane). The maximum power density of 491mW/m2 (240mM NaCl) was only 17% less than the MFC with 50mM PBS. The decrease in power output with highest salinity was due to reduced proton transfer due to the ion exchange membrane, and pH changes in the two solutions. These results show that MFC performance can be improved by using a saline catholyte without pH control. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

  11. Saline catholytes as alternatives to phosphate buffers in microbial fuel cells

    KAUST Repository

    Ahn, Yongtae

    2013-03-01

    Highly saline solutions were examined as alternatives to chemical buffers in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The performance of two-chamber MFCs with different concentrations of saline solutions in the cathode chamber was compared to those with a buffered catholyte (50mM PBS). The use of a NaCl catholyte improved the CE to 43-60% (28% with no membrane) due to a reduction in oxygen transfer into the anolyte. The saline catholyte also reduced the membrane and solution resistance to 23Ω (41Ω without a membrane). The maximum power density of 491mW/m2 (240mM NaCl) was only 17% less than the MFC with 50mM PBS. The decrease in power output with highest salinity was due to reduced proton transfer due to the ion exchange membrane, and pH changes in the two solutions. These results show that MFC performance can be improved by using a saline catholyte without pH control. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

  12. Morpho-physiological response of Acacia auriculiformis as influenced by seawater induced salinity stress

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haque, A.; Rahman, M.; Nihad, S.A.I.; Howlader, R.A.; Akand, M.H.

    2016-07-01

    Aim of the study: To evaluate the morpho-physiological changes of Acacia auriculiformis in response to seawater induced salinity stress along with its tolerance limit. Area of study: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Bangladesh. Material and methods: Three saline treatments (4, 8, 12 dS m-1) were applied to six-month aged Acacia auriculiformis seedlings from January 2014 to June 2014 and the tap water was used as control treatment. To observe salinity effects, the following parameters were measured by using various established techniques: plant height and leaf number, plant biomass, shoot and root distribution as well as shoot and root density, water uptake capacity (WUC), water saturation deficit (WSD) and water retention capacity (WRC), exudation rate, and cell membrane stability. Main results: Diluted seawater caused a notable reduction in shoot and root distribution in addition to shoot and root density, though plant height, leaf number and plant biomass were found to be decreased to some extent compared to control plants. Water status of the plant also altered when plants were subjected to salinity stress. Nevertheless, membrane stability revealed good findings towards salinity tolerance. Research highlights: Considering the above facts, despite salinity exerts some negative effects on overall plant performance, interestingly the percent reduction value doesn’t exceed 50% as compared to control plants, and the plants were successful to tolerate salinity stress till the end of the experiment (150 days) through adopting some tolerance mechanisms. Abbreviations used: BSMRAU (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University); RCBD (randomized complete block design); DATI (days after treatment imposition); RWC (relative water content); WUC (water uptake capacity); WSD (water saturation deficit); WRC (water retention capacity); FW (fresh weight); DW (dry weight); TW (turgid weight); ROS (reactive oxygen species). (Author)

  13. Lime Juice and Vinegar Injections as a Cheap and Natural Alternative to Control COTS Outbreaks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moutardier, Grégoire; Gereva, Sompert; Mills, Suzanne C; Adjeroud, Mehdi; Beldade, Ricardo; Ham, Jayven; Kaku, Rocky; Dumas, Pascal

    2015-01-01

    Outbreaks of the corallivorous crown-of-thorns seastar Acanthaster planci (COTS) represent one of the greatest disturbances to coral reef ecosystems in the Indo-Pacific, affecting not only coral reefs but also the coastal communities which rely on their resources. While injection approaches are increasingly used in an attempt to control COTS densities, most of them display severe drawbacks including logistical challenges, high residual environmental impacts or low cost-effectiveness. We tested a new alternative control method based upon acidic injections of cheap, 100% natural products. We investigated the lethal doses, intra- and inter-specific disease transmission and immune responses of COTS when injected with fresh lime juice (extracted from local Citrus arantifolia) and white spirit vinegar. High COTS mortality was achieved with small volumes: 10-20 ml per seastar induced death in 89%/97% of injected specimens after an average 34.3 h/29.8 h for lime juice and vinegar respectively. Highest efficiency was reached for both solutions with double shots of (2 × 10 ml) in two different areas on the body: 100% mortality occurred within 12-24 h, which is similar or faster compared with other current injection methods. Multiple immune measures suggested that death was very likely caused by pH stress from the acidic solutions rather than a bacterial infection. Contagion to either conspecifics or a variety of other reef species was not observed, even at COTS densities 15 times higher than the highest naturally reported. 10 to 20 l lime juice/vinegar could kill up to a thousand COTS at a cost of less than 0.05 USD per specimen; no permits or special handling procedures are required. We conclude that injections of lime juice and vinegar offer great advantages when compared to current best practises and constitute a cheap and natural option for all reefs affected by COTS.

  14. Meta-Analysis of the Clinical Value of Danshen Injection and Huangqi Injection in Liver Cirrhosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Changtai Zhu

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. To evaluate the clinical value of Danshen injection and Huangqi injection for the treatment of liver cirrhosis. Methods. The Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM, Chinese Scientific Journals Full-Text Database (VIP, Wanfang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, PubMed, and EMBASE database were searched to collect the literatures about the randomized controlled trials involving the treatment of liver cirrhosis with Danshen injection combined with Huangqi injection, and the data analyses were performed using RevMan 4.2 software. Results. A total of 11 studies involving 1086 patients (trials group: 554 cases, control group: 532 cases were included in this study. Compared with those in control group, the meta-analysis showed-that the total effectiveness rate and the level of serum albumin increased, while serum total bilirubin, alanine transmninase, type III procollagen, hyaluronic acid, laminin, and type-IV collagen decreased in trials group. The Jadad score ranged from 1 to 2 and the funnel plot analysis suggests that publication bias may occur. Conclusions. Danshen injection combined with Huangqi injection may promote the curative efficacy of liver cirrhosis, which is a promising novel treatment approach. The exact outcome needs to perform rigorously designed, multicenter, and large randomized controlled trials.

  15. Neural control systems for alternatively fuelled vehicles and natural gas fuel injection for DACIA NOVA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sulatisky, M. [Saskatchewan Research Council, Saskatoon, SK (Canada); Ghelesel, A. [BC Gas International, Vancouver, BC (Canada)

    1999-07-01

    The elements of natural gas vehicle conversion technology are described as background to a discussion of the development of bi-fuel injection system for the Rumanian-manufactured DACIA-NOVA automobile. The bi-fuel injection system mirrors the fueling system installed by the original equipment manufacturer; it can also be easily installed on Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler vehicles as well as on most imports.To meet emission standards after 2000, it is envisaged to install on the DACIA NOVA a neural control system (NCS) and a completely adaptive linear control system (ACLS). Details of natural gas vehicles development and the development of NCS and ACLS are discussed, including short-term and long-term objectives.

  16. Biogeochemical and hydrological controls in mobilizing Se in a saline wetland environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Datta, S.; Hettiarachchi, G. M.; Crawford, M.; Karna, R.; Allmendinger, N. E.; Khatiwada, R.

    2010-12-01

    Selenium (Se) contamination in watersheds remains a challenge to water and land and wildlife managers throughout the west and mid west of US. In that sense, understanding the fundamentals of Se mobilization, fixation and bioconcentration is the current research endeavor. The challenge for Se research is developing watershed-geochemical models that are well founded in Se geochemical/biologcial principles that can be applied in a wide range of situations to inform decisions. Pariette Wetlands, a 9000 acre Bureau of Land Management controlled wetland system composed of 20 ponds located at the confluence of Pariette Draw and the Green River is the present location of this study. The agricultural and irrigation practices and the water-rock interactions leading to salinization can be associated with changes in Se chemistry in the rivers. Since its inception Pariette Wetlands has been home to a rich and diverse wetland ecosystem located in the arid Uintah Basin of Northeastern Utah. Detailed sampling of surficial sediments (0-1 m) from stream banks, channel beds and for water sampling have been undergone in 2 separate field trips throughout the entire reach of the wetland. To establish Pariette Draw’s contribution of Se to the Green river, water and sediments were also sampled from the Green River up and downstream of its confluence with Pariette Draw. In situ measurements of water parameters within the wetland suggest a clear trend of increased pH from upstream, 8, to downstream, 9.2 and combined with TDS suggest a pH controlled saline environment system. The headwaters near Flood Control Dam have an added input of Se from a possible irrigation source upstream in Pleasant Valley area while Se drastically decreases downstream towards the Red Head Pond. Se fractionation in sediments is being analyzed via a sequential extraction procedure to locate the labile fractions of mostly inorganic bound Se. Solid state speciation of Se via μ-XRF aided μ-XANES is being combined

  17. Computer-controlled data acquisition system for the ISX-B neutral injection system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edmonds, P.H.; Sherrill, B.; Pearce, J.W.

    1980-05-01

    A data acquisition system for the Impurity Study Experiment (ISX-B) neutral injection system at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is presented. The system is based on CAMAC standards and is controlled by a MIK-11/2 microcomputer. The system operates at the ion source high voltage on the source table, transmitting the analyzed data to a terminal at ground potential. This reduces the complexity of the communications link and also allows much flexibility in the diagnostics and eventual control of the beam line

  18. Determination of iron in highly-saline matrices by FIA-ICP-MS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Jens Enevold Thaulov

    Analysis of iron by inductively-coupled-plasma mass-spectrometry (ICP-MS) may be significantly improved by applying a protocol of flow-injection analysis. The iron species of the sample was preconcentrated by an ammonia buffer at pH = 9.2 on a filterless nylon-knotted reactor, and the adsorbed...... species were subsequently eluted by hydrochloric acid and analysed by ICP-MS. During the FIA step of preconcentration, a high degree of salinity did not influence the adsorption mechanism of iron, which may be related to formation of iron-hydroxide complexes at the sites of amide moieties of the nylon...

  19. Sympathetic responses during saline infusion into the veins of an occluded limb.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Jian; McQuillan, Patrick; Moradkhan, Raman; Pagana, Charles; Sinoway, Lawrence I

    2009-07-15

    Animal studies have shown that the increased intravenous pressure stimulates the group III and IV muscle afferent fibres, and in turn induce cardiovascular responses. However, this pathway of autonomic regulation has not been examined in humans. The aim of this study was to examine the hypothesis that infusion of saline into the venous circulation of an arterially occluded vascular bed evokes sympathetic activation in healthy individuals. Blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) responses were assessed in 19 young healthy subjects during local infusion of 40 ml saline into a forearm vein in the circulatory arrested condition. From baseline (11.8 +/- 1.2 bursts min(-1)), MSNA increased significantly during the saline infusion (22.5 +/- 2.6 bursts min(-1), P Blood pressure also increased significantly during the saline infusion. Three control trials were performed during separate visits. The results from the control trial show that the observed MSNA and blood pressure responses were not due to muscle ischaemia. The present data show that saline infusion into the venous circulation of an arterially occluded vascular bed induces sympathetic activation and an increase in blood pressure. We speculate that the infusion under such conditions stimulates the afferent endings near the vessels, and evokes the sympathetic activation.

  20. The effects of intradermal botulinum toxin type a injections on pain symptoms of patients with diabetic neuropathy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majid Ghasemi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Considering the dramatic increasing rate of diabetes and consequently its related complications, most importantly diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN, challenges regarding proper treatment of DPN and its effect on the quality-of-life and care of diabetic patients, the aim of this current study is to evaluate the effect of intradermal botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A injections on pain symptoms of patients with diabetic neuropathic pain. Materials and Methods: In this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial study, diabetic patients aged <70 years with neuropathic pain in both feet were enrolled. Diabetic neuropathy (DN in selected patients was diagnosed using DN4 questionnaire and nerve conduction velocity examinations. They randomized in two intervention (BTX-A injection/100 unit, N = 20 and placebo groups (normal saline injection, N = 20. The outcome of injection on diabetic neuropathic pain was assessed using neuropathy pain scale (NPS and visual analog scale (VAS score and compared in two studied groups. Results: There was no significant difference in DN4, NPS and VAS scales of studied population after intervention in the placebo group. Intradermal injection of BTX-A reduced NPS scores for all items except cold sensation (P = 0.05. It reduced DN4 scores for electric shocks, burning, pins and needles and brushing (P < 0.05. According to VAS scale 30% and 0% of patients in intervention and placebo groups have no pain after intervention (P = 0.01. Conclusion: Intradermal injection of BTX-A is a well-tolerated agent that has a significant effect on DPN pain.

  1. Manejo da fertirrigação e controle da salinidade do solo sob ambiente protegido, utilizando-se extratores de solução do solo Fertigation management and soil salinity control in a protected ambient using soil solution extractors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nildo da S. Dias

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available Com o objetivo de avaliar o uso de extratores de soluções do solo no auxílio ao manejo da fertirrigação e no controle da salinidade em solo cultivado com melão rendilhado, conduziu-se um estudo em ambiente protegido na área experimental do Departamento de Engenharia Rural da ESALQ/USP, localizada no município de Piracicaba, SP. Os tratamentos se compunham da combinação de dois fatores: 6 níveis de salinidade inicial do solo (S1 = 1,0; S2 = 2,0; S3 = 3,0; S4 = 4,0; S5 = 5,0 e S6 = 6,0 dS m-1 e dois manejos de fertirrigação: tradicional e com controle da condutividade elétrica da solução do solo. Procedeu-se à salinização inicial do solo por meio da aplicação de soluções salinas preparadas a partir de fertilizantes, em que a quantidade de sais a ser adicionada foi determinada tomando-se por base uma curva de salinização artificial, obtida previamente em laboratório. Os resultados mostraram que, com o uso de extratores de solução do solo, pode-se monitorar a concentração iônica da solução do solo, com precisão satisfatória. A salinidade do solo evoluiu com o tempo, estando os maiores níveis próximos à superfície do solo e do gotejador. A diferença no consumo de água entre os níveis de salinidade foi mais evidenciada no manejo controlado da fertirrigação, ajustando-se a um modelo quadrático.A study was carried out under greenhouse conditions at the experimental area of the Department of Rural Engineering of "Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz-USP", Piracicaba, São Paulo state, Brazil, aiming to evaluate the performance of ceramic cup samplers in fertigation management and soil salinity control in a plot cultivated with netmelon. The treatments consisted of combination of two factors: six levels of initial soil salinity (S1 = 1.0, S2 = 2.0, S3 = 3.0, S4 = 4.0, S5 = 5.0 and S6 = 6.0 dS m-1 and two fertigation management control: the traditional and the control of electrical conductivity of soil

  2. Investigation of Lake Water Salinity by Using Four-Band Salinity Algorithm on WorldView-2 Satellite Image for a Saline Industrial Lake

    Science.gov (United States)

    Budakoǧlu, Murat; Karaman, Muhittin; Damla Uça Avcı, Z.; Kumral, Mustafa; Geredeli (Yılmaz), Serpil

    2014-05-01

    Salinity of a lake is an important characteristic since, these are potentially industrial lakes and the degree of salinity can significantly be used for determination of mineral resources and for the production management. In the literature, there are many studies of using satellite data for salinity related lake studies such as determination of salinity distribution and detection of potential freshwater sources in less salt concentrated regions. As the study area Lake Acigol, located in Denizli (Turkey) was selected. With it's saline environment, it's the major sodium sulphate production resource of Turkey. In this study, remote sensing data and data from a field study was used and correlated. Remote sensing is an efficient tool to monitor and analyze lake properties by using it complementary to field data. Worldview-2 satellite data was used in this study which consists of 8 bands. At the same time with the satellite data acquisition, a field study was conducted to collect the salinity values in 17 points of the laker with using YSI 556 Multiparametre for measurements. The values were measured as salinity amount in grams per kilogram solution and obtained as ppt unit. It was observed that the values vary from 34 ppt - 40.1 ppt and the average is 38.056 ppt. In Thalassic serie, the lake was in mixoeuhaline state in the time of issue. As a first step, ATCOR correction was performed on satellite image for atmospheric correction. There were some clouds on the lake field, hence it was decided to continue the study by using the 12 sampling points which were clear on the image. Then, for each sampling point, a spectral value was obtained by calculating the average at a 11*11 neighborhood. The relation between the spectral reflectance values and the salinity was investigated. The 4-band algorithm, which was used for determination of chlorophyll-a distribution in highly turbid coastal environment by Wei (2012) was applied. Salinity α (Λi-1 / Λj-1) * (Λk-1 / Λm-1) (i

  3. Thermo-hydro-chemical performance assessment of CO2 storage in saline aquifer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Le Gallo, Y.; Trenty, L.; Michel, A.

    2007-01-01

    Research and development methodologies for the storage of CO 2 in geological formation are in developing over the last 10 years. In this context, numerical simulators are the practical tools to understand the physical processes involved by acid gas injection and evaluate the long term stability of the storage. CO 2 storage models can be seen as a mix between two types of models: a reservoir model coupling multiphase flow in porous media with local phase equilibrium and a hydrogeochemical model coupling transport in aqueous phase with local chemical equilibrium and kinetic reaction laws. A 3D-multiphase model, COORES, was built to assess the influence of different driving forces both hydrodynamic and geomechanics as well as geochemical on the CO 2 plume behavior during injection and storage (1000 years). Different coupling strategies were used to model these phenomena: - pressure, temperature and diffusion are solved implicitly for better numerical stability; - geochemical reactions involve heterogeneous kinetically-controlled reactions between the host rock and the CO 2 -rich aqueous phase which imply an implicit coupling with fluid flow; From the assumed initial mineral composition (6 minerals), aqueous species (10 chemical elements and 37 aqueous species), the geochemical alteration of the host rocks (sand and shale) is directly linked with the CO 2 plume evolution. A performance assessment using an experimental design approach is used to quantify the different driving forces and parameter influences. In the case of CO 2 injection in a saline quartz rich aquifer used to illustrate the model capabilities, the geochemical changes of the host rock have a small influence on the CO 2 distribution at the end of storage life (here 1000 years) compared to the other hydrodynamic mechanisms: free CO 2 (gas or supercritical), or trapped (capillary and in-solution). (authors)

  4. The Effect of Dexmedetomidine on Lumbar Epidural Injection for Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashraf Eskandr

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. Failed back surgery syndrome is a chronic pain condition requiring rapid, effective, and efficient management. This study evaluates the effect of adding dexmedetomidine to lumbar epidural steroids in patients with failed back surgery syndrome. Methods. Fifty patients suffering from failed back surgery syndrome were randomly assigned to one of two groups, receiving an epidural injection of 20 mL of either a mixture of betamethasone (14 mg and bupivacaine 0.5 mg (group C or a mixture of betamethasone (14 mg, bupivacaine 0.5 mg, and dexmedetomidine (0.5 μg/kg (group D adjusted to the volume with normal saline. The effect was evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS, analgesic requirement, and Oswestry disability index 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks after injection. Results. VAS and ibuprofen consumption showed a significant reduction in group D. The Oswestry disability index was significantly improved in group D. There were no records of hypotension, bradycardia, sedation, or hypoxemia in both groups. Conclusion. The present study demonstrated potential safe and effective usage of adding dexmedetomidine to epidural steroid to control pain in patients with failed back surgery syndrome.

  5. Development of a High-Stability Microstrip-based L-band Radiometer for Ocean Salinity Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pellerano, Fernando A.; Horgan, Kevin A.; Wilson, William J.; Tanner, Alan B.

    2004-01-01

    The development of a microstrip-based L-band Dicke radiometer with the long-term stability required for future ocean salinity measurements to an accuracy of 0.1 psu is presented. This measurement requires the L-band radiometers to have calibration stabilities of less than or equal to 0.05 K over 2 days. This research has focused on determining the optimum radiometer requirements and configuration to achieve this objective. System configuration and component performance have been evaluated with radiometer test beds at both JPL and GSFC. The GSFC testbed uses a cryogenic chamber that allows long-term characterization at radiometric temperatures in the range of 70 - 120 K. The research has addressed several areas including component characterization as a function of temperature and DC bias, system linearity, optimum noise diode injection calibration, and precision temperature control of components. A breadboard radiometer, utilizing microstrip-based technologies, has been built to demonstrate this long-term stability.

  6. Intraperitoneal Injection of Ethanol for the Euthanasia of Laboratory Mice (Mus musculus) and Rats (Rattus norvegicus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen-Worthington, Krystal H; Brice, Angela K; Marx, James O; Hankenson, F Claire

    2015-11-01

    Compassion, professional ethics, and public sensitivity require that animals are euthanized humanely and appropriately under both planned and emergent situations. According to the 2013 AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals, intraperitoneal injection of ethanol is "acceptable with conditions" for use in mice. Because only limited information regarding this technique is available, we sought to evaluate ethanol by using ECG and high-definition video recording. Mice (n = 85) and rats (n = 16) were treated with intraperitoneal ethanol (70% or 100%), a positive-control agent (pentobarbital-phenytoin combination [Pe/Ph]), or a negative-control agent (saline solution). After injection, animals were assessed for behavioral and physiologic responses. Pain-assessment techniques in mice demonstrated that intraperitoneal injection of ethanol was not more painful than was intraperitoneal Pe/Ph. Median time to loss of consciousness for all mice that received ethanol or Pe/Ph was 45 s. Median time to respiratory arrest was 2.75, 2.25, and 2.63 min, and time (mean ± SE) to cardiac arrest was 6.04 ± 1.3, 2.96 ± 0.6, and 4.03 ± 0.5 min for 70% ethanol, 100% ethanol, and Pe/Ph, respectively. No mouse that received ethanol or Pe/Ph regained consciousness. Although successful in mice, intraperitoneal ethanol at the doses tested (9.2 to 20.1 g/kg) was unsuitable for euthanasia of rats (age, 7 to 8 wk) because of the volume needed and prolonged time to respiratory effects. For mice, intraperitoneal injection of 70% or 100% ethanol induced rapid and irreversible loss of consciousness, followed by death, and should be considered as "acceptable with conditions."

  7. Seed Priming to Overcome Salinity Stress in Persian Cultivars of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali SEPEHRI

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available In order to investigate the effect of hydro-priming on seed germination with distilled water on germination of five Alfalfa cultivars under salinity stress, an experiment was conducted as a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with three replications. Seven levels of hydro-priming and salinity of NaCl including prime and non-salinity, prime and 50 mM salinity, prime and 100 mM salinity, prime and 150 mM salinity, prime and 200 mM salinity, prime and 250 mM salinity and without prime and salinity and five alfalfa varieties, including ‘Hamedani’, ‘Isfahani’, ‘Bami’, ‘Yazdi’ and ‘Ghareh Yonjeh’ were used. The results showed that the main effect of prime, salinity and cultivars and their interaction in all studied traits were significantly affected at the 5% probability level. Priming treatments in non-salinity of all cultivars were the highest. In all cultivars, final germination percentage, length and weight of radicle, plumule and seedling, germination rate and time, relative radicle elongation, vigor index and stress index, were significantly improved in response to priming in salinity levels of 50-200 mM, compared to control. Radicle produced higher length and weight than the plumule in hydro- priming and salinity treatments. ‘Hamedani’ cultivar in most of studied characteristics had a better response than others. The lowest response to salinity stress and priming was observed in ‘Yazdi’ cultivar.

  8. Single-dose Intramuscular-injection Toxicology Test of Water-soluble Carthami-flos and Cervi cornu parvum Pharmacopuncture in a Rat Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sunju Park

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of the study is to investigate both the single-dose intramuscular injection toxicity and the approximate lethal dose of water-soluble Carthami-flos and Cervi cornu parvum pharmacopuncture (WCFC in male and female Sprague-Dawley (SD rats. Methods: The study was conducted at Biotoxtech Co. according to the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP regulation and the toxicity test guidelines of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS after approval of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Dosages for the control, high dose, middle dose and low dose groups were 0.5 mL/animal of saline and 0.5, 0.25 and 0.125 mL/animal of WCFC, respectively. WCFC was injected into the muscle of the left femoral region by using a disposable syringe (1 mL, 26 gauge. The general symptoms and mortality were observed 30 minutes, 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours after the first injection and then daily for 14 days after the injection. The body weights of the SD rats were measured on the day of the injection (before injection and on the third, seventh, and fourteenth days after the injection. Serum biochemical and hematologic tests, necropsy examinations, and histopathologic examinations at the injection site were performed after the observation period. Results: No deaths, abnormal clinical symptoms, or significant weight changes were observed in either male or female SD rats in the control or the test (0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 mL/animal groups during the observation period. No significant differences in hematology and serum biochemistry and no macroscopic abnormalities at necropsy were found. No abnormal reactions at injection sites were noted on the topical tolerance tests. Conclusion: The results of this single-dose toxicity study show that WCFC is safe, its lethal doses in male and female SD rats being estimated to be higher than 0.5 mL/animal.

  9. The effect of local tramadol injection in post appendectomy pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alireza Khazaei

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Background: It has been demonstrated that tramadol, asemisynthetic opioid, is an effective analgesic with systemic (central and local (peripheral anesthetic effects. The aim of this study was to compare the post-operative anesthetic effect of subcutaneous wound infiltration of tramadol with normal saline as placebo in the incision wounds after appendectomy and measuring the average need to petidine during the next 24 hours after the appendectomy. Materials and Method: This double blind study was carried out on 60 patients over 15 years old. Patients were randomly divided in two equal groups. At the end of procedure after repairing fascia 100mg of tramadol that was diluted with water for injection up to 10 cc in one syringe or 10 cc of normal saline in another syringe was infiltrated subcutaneously by surgeon before suturing the skin. The intensity of pain (NRS was recorded in the recovery room, after 6 and 24 hours post-operation as well as total amount of administered petidine in the same period. At the end of study the intensity of pain in the mentioned times and the average use of petidine compared in two groups. Results: A significant difference was noted in the severity of pain between two groups in recovery time, 6 and 24 hours afetr operation that was lower in tramadol group (p<0.0001. Also the average use of petidine was significantly lower in tramadol group in 24 hours (p<0.05. The average severity of pain by NRS in recovery was 5.36 for control (N and 3.08 for tramadol (T groups; and after 6 hours it was 5.36 for (N and 3.36 for (T and after 24 hours reached to 3.08 for (N and 2.08 for (T and the average number of injected 25mg ampoules of petidine was 1.56 in (N and 0.76 in (T.Conclusion: Local wound infiltration of tramadol is a good choice for reduction of post appendectomy pain and decreasing need for high potent opioid analgesics

  10. Histologic Evidence of New Collagen Formulation Using Platelet Rich Plasma in Skin Rejuvenation: A Prospective Controlled Clinical Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abuaf, Ozlem Karabudak; Baloglu, Hüseyin; Bilgili, Memet Ersan; Simsek, Hasan Aktug; Dogan, Bilal

    2016-01-01

    Background Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous concentration of human platelets contained in a small volume of plasma and has recently been shown to accelerate rejuvenate aging skin by various growth factors and cell adhesion molecules. Objective This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intradermal injection of PRP in the human facial rejuvenation. Methods This study was a prospective, single-center, single-dose, open-label, non-randomized controlled clinical study. PRP injected to the upper site of this right infra-auricular area and all face. Saline was injected to the left infra-auricular area. Histopathological examinations were performed before PRP treatment, 28 days after the PRP, and saline (control) treatments. Results Twenty women ranging in age from 40 to 49 years (mean age, 43.65±2.43 years) were enrolled in the study. The mean optical densities (MODs) of collagen in the pre-treatment, control, and PRP-treated area were measured. They were 539±93.2, 787±134.15, 1,019±178, respectively. In the MOD of PRP, 89.05 percent improvement was found when MOD of PRP was compared with MOD of pre-treatment. The mean MOD of collagen fibers was clearly highest on the PRP side (pmesotherapy technique 'point by point'). PRP application could be considered as an effective (even a single application) and safety procedure for facial skin rejuvenation. PMID:27904271

  11. Electrically controlled fuel injection device for internal combustion engines with air quantity meter. Elektrisch gesteuerte Kraftstoffeinspritzeinrichtung fuer Brennkraftmaschinen mit Luftmengenmesser

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kraus, B; Soell, W

    1980-12-11

    The invention concerns an electrically controlled preferably intermittently working fuel injection device for internal combustion engines with a throttle valve, a solenoid operated injection valve and a transistor circuit, which supplies electrical pulses used to open the injection valve synchronously to the revolution of the crankshaft. The invention is characterized by the fact that an electrical control device is provided, which extends the individual opening pulses in thrust operation (with the throttle valve closed or nearly closed and with a working speed above the speed). The extension produced by the control device decreases from a value at about 20% for the maximum speed to a value of 0 for the tickover speed. Details of the transistor control are made clear by detailed circuit diagrams and 5 patent claims.

  12. Differential behavioral profile induced by the injection of dipotassium chlorazepate within brain areas that project to the nucleus accumbens septi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llano López, Luis H; Caif, Fernando; Fraile, Miriam; Tinnirello, Belén; de Gargiulo, Adriana I Landa; Lafuente, José V; Baiardi, Gustavo C; Gargiulo, Pascual A

    2013-01-01

    The effect of the agonism on γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors was studied within medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), amygdala (AMY) and ventral hipocampus (VH) in the plus-maze test in male rats bilaterally cannulated. These structures send glutamatergic projections to the nucleus accumbens septi (NAS), in which interaction and integration between these afferent pathways has been described. In a previous study of our group, blockade of glutamatergic transmission within NAS induced an anxiolytic like effect. Three rat groups received either saline or dipotassium chlorazepate (1 or 2 μg/1 μl solution) 15 min before testing. Time spent in the open arms (TSOA), time per entry (TPE), extreme arrivals (EA), open and closed arms entries (OAE, CAE) and relationship between open- and closed-arms quotient (OCAQ) were recorded. In the AMY injected group TSOA, OAE and EA were increased by the higher doses of dipotassium chlorazepate (p < 0.01). In the mPFC, TPE was decreased by both doses (p < 0.05). Injection within ventral hippocampus (VH) decreased TSOA, OAE and OCAQ with lower doses (p < 0.05). When the three studied saline groups were compared, TSOA, OAE, EA and OCAQ were enhanced in the VH group when compared to mPFC and AMY (p < 0.001). Insertion of inner canula (p < 0.001, p < 0.01, p < 0.01) and saline injection showed an increasing significant difference (p < 0.001 in all cases) with the action of guide cannula alone within VH in TSOA, OAE and EA. We conclude that the injection of dipotassium chlorazepate has a differential effect depending of the brain area, leading to facilitatory and inhibitory effects on anxiety processing.

  13. Experimentally derived salinity tolerance of hatchling Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) from the Everglades, Florida (USA)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Kristen M.; Schofield, Pamela J.; Gregoire, Denise R.

    2012-01-01

    In a laboratory setting, we tested the ability of 24 non-native, wild-caught hatchling Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) collected in the Florida Everglades to survive when given water containing salt to drink. After a one-month acclimation period in the laboratory, we grouped snakes into three treatments, giving them access to water that was fresh (salinity of 0, control), brackish (salinity of 10), or full-strength sea water (salinity of 35). Hatchlings survived about one month at the highest marine salinity and about five months at the brackish-water salinity; no control animals perished during the experiment. These results are indicative of a "worst-case scenario", as in the laboratory we denied access to alternate fresh-water sources that may be accessible in the wild (e.g., through rainfall). Therefore, our results may underestimate the potential of hatchling pythons to persist in saline habitats in the wild. Because of the effect of different salinity regimes on survival, predictions of ultimate geographic expansion by non-native Burmese pythons that consider salt water as barriers to dispersal for pythons may warrant re-evaluation, especially under global climate change and associated sea-level-rise scenarios.

  14. Pellet ablation and cloud flow characteristics in the JIPP T-IIU plasma with the injection-angle controllable system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakakita, H.; Sato, K.N.; Liang, R.; Hamada, Y.; Ando, A.; Kano, Y.; Sakamoto, M.

    1994-01-01

    Pellet ablation and flow characteristics of ablation cloud have been studied in the JIPP T-IIU plasma by using an injection-angle controllable system. A new technique for an ice pellet injection system with controllability of injection angle has been developed and installed to the JIPP T-IIU tokamak in order to vary deposition profile of ice pellets within a plasma. Injection angle can be varied easily and successfully during an interval of two plasma shots in the course of an experiment, so that one can carry out various basic experiments by varying the pellet deposition profile. The injection angle has been varied poloidally from -6 to 6 degree by changing the angle of the last stage drift tube. This situation makes possible for pellets to aim at from about r = -2a/3 to r = 2a/3 of the plasma. From two dimensional observations by CCD cameras, details of the pellet ablation structures with various injection angles have been studied, and a couple of interesting phenomena have been found. In the case of an injection angle (θ) larger than a certain value (θ ≥ 4 o ), a pellet penetrates straightly through the plasma with a trace of straight ablation cloud, which has been expected from usual theoretical consideration. On the other hand, a long helical tail of ablation light has been observed in the case of the angle smaller than the certain value (θ ≤ 4 o ). (author) 4 refs., 4 figs

  15. Turbulent shear control with oscillatory bubble injection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Hyun Jin; Oishi, Yoshihiko; Tasaka, Yuji; Murai, Yuichi; Takeda, Yasushi

    2009-01-01

    It is known that injecting bubbles into shear flow can reduce the frictional drag. This method has advantages in comparison to others in simplicity of installation and also in environment. The amount of drag reduction by bubbles depends on the void fraction provided in the boundary layer. It means, however, that certain power must be consumed to generate bubbles in water, worsening the total power-saving performance. We propose oscillatory bubble injection technique to improve the performance in this study. In order to prove this idea of new type of drag reduction, velocity vector field and shear stress profile in a horizontal channel flow are measured by ultrasonic velocity profiler (UVP) and shear stress transducer, respectively. We measure the gas-liquid interface from the UVP signal, as well. This compound measurement with different principles leads to deeper understanding of bubble-originated drag reduction phenomena, in particular for unsteady process of boundary layer alternation. At these experiments, the results have demonstrated that the intermittency promotes the drag reduction more than normal continuous injection for the same void fraction supplied.

  16. Paraspinous Lidocaine Injection for Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imamura, Marta; Imamura, Satiko Tomikawa; Targino, Rosa Alves; Morales-Quezada, León; Onoda Tomikawa, Luis C; Onoda Tomikawa, Luis G; Alfieri, Fabio M; Filippo, Thais R; da Rocha, Ivan D; Neto, Raul Bolliger; Fregni, Felipe; Battistella, Linamara Rizzo

    2016-05-01

    In this large, sham-controlled, randomized trial, we examined the efficacy of the combination of standard treatment and paraspinous lidocaine injection compared with standard therapy alone in subjects with chronic low back pain. There is little research-based evidence for the routine clinical use of paraspinous lidocaine injection for low back pain. A total of 378 subjects with nonspecific chronic low back pain were randomized to 3 groups: paraspinous lidocaine injection, analgesics, and exercises (group 1, LID-INJ); sham paraspinous lidocaine injection, analgesics, and exercises (group 2, SH-INJ); and analgesics and exercises (group 3, STD-TTR). A blinded rater assessed the study outcomes at 3 time points: baseline, after treatment, and after 3 months of follow-up. There were increased frequency of pain responses and better low back functional scores in the LID-INJ group compared with the SH-INJ and STD-TTR groups. These effects remained at the 3-month follow-up but differed between all 3 groups. There were significant changes in pain threshold immediately after treatment, supporting the effects of this intervention in reducing central sensitization. Paraspinous lidocaine injection therapy is not associated with a higher risk of adverse effects compared with conventional treatment and sham injection. Its effects on hyperalgesia might correlate with changes in central sensitization. NCT02387567. There are few data to support paraspinous lidocaine injection use in patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain. Our results show that this therapy when combined with standard therapy significantly increases the number of responders versus standard treatment alone. Its effects on hyperalgesia might correlate with a change in central sensitization. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  17. Enhancement of salinity tolerance in wheat through soil applied calcium carbide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Ahmad

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Calcium carbide (CaC2 has been reported to increase growth and yield of crops under normal soil conditions. This study assessed its capacity to enhance salinity tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.; cv- 1076 under saline conditions. Three levels of salinity: 0, 7 and 12 dS m-1 were created using NaCl. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were applied as ammonium sulphate and KH2PO4 at 50 and 25 mg kg-1 soil, respectively. The encapsulated calcium carbide (ECC at 45 mg kg-1 soil produced 1291.8 µmols of acetylene (C2H2 and 257.5 µmols of its product ethylene (C2H4 over a period of 80 days. The results of the pot study indicated that ECC increased the weight of spike, weight of grains per spike, length of spike, total water concentration, root/shoot ratio and relative leaf water content up to 17, 23, 22, 35, 33 and 3%, respectively, over the control. Contrary to this, salinity (at 12 dS m -1 decreased all these parameters up to 68, 60, 26, 30, 28 and 8%, respectively, compared to the control. These results indicate that ECC enhances salinity tolerance in wheat by improving uptake of nutrients through enhanced root growth, increased hydraulic conductivity and hormonal action of ethylene released by ECC. Total water concentration was positively correlated (0.73 with grains spike-1 at P ≤ 0.05

  18. Field Testing of Activated Carbon Injection Options for Mercury Control at TXU's Big Brown Station

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    John Pavlish; Jeffrey Thompson; Christopher Martin; Mark Musich; Lucinda Hamre

    2009-01-07

    The primary objective of the project was to evaluate the long-term feasibility of using activated carbon injection (ACI) options to effectively reduce mercury emissions from Texas electric generation plants in which a blend of lignite and subbituminous coal is fired. Field testing of ACI options was performed on one-quarter of Unit 2 at TXU's Big Brown Steam Electric Station. Unit 2 has a design output of 600 MW and burns a blend of 70% Texas Gulf Coast lignite and 30% subbituminous Powder River Basin coal. Big Brown employs a COHPAC configuration, i.e., high air-to-cloth baghouses following cold-side electrostatic precipitators (ESPs), for particulate control. When sorbent injection is added between the ESP and the baghouse, the combined technology is referred to as TOXECON{trademark} and is patented by the Electric Power Research Institute in the United States. Key benefits of the TOXECON configuration include better mass transfer characteristics of a fabric filter compared to an ESP for mercury capture and contamination of only a small percentage of the fly ash with AC. The field testing consisted of a baseline sampling period, a parametric screening of three sorbent injection options, and a month long test with a single mercury control technology. During the baseline sampling, native mercury removal was observed to be less than 10%. Parametric testing was conducted for three sorbent injection options: injection of standard AC alone; injection of an EERC sorbent enhancement additive, SEA4, with ACI; and injection of an EERC enhanced AC. Injection rates were determined for all of the options to achieve the minimum target of 55% mercury removal as well as for higher removals approaching 90%. Some of the higher injection rates were not sustainable because of increased differential pressure across the test baghouse module. After completion of the parametric testing, a month long test was conducted using the enhanced AC at a nominal rate of 1.5 lb/Macf. During

  19. Numerical simulation of CO2 geological storage in saline aquifers – case study of Utsira formation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Zheming; Agarwal, Ramesh K. [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130 (United States)

    2013-07-01

    CO2 geological storage (CGS) is one of the most promising technologies to address the issue of excessive anthropogenic CO2 emissions in the atmosphere due to fossil fuel combustion for electricity generation. In order to fully exploit the storage potential, numerical simulations can help in determining injection strategies before the deployment of full scale sequestration in saline aquifers. This paper presents the numerical simulations of CO2 geological storage in Utsira saline formation where the sequestration is currently underway. The effects of various hydrogeological and numerical factors on the CO2 distribution in the topmost hydrogeological layer of Utsira are discussed. The existence of multiple pathways for upward mobility of CO2 into the topmost layer of Utsira as well as the performance of the top seal are also investigated.

  20. Effect Of Salinization On Fusarium Wilt Disease In Tomato Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmed, B.M.; Fath El-Bab, T.S.

    2013-01-01

    Salinization of soils or waters is one of the serious environmental problems in agriculture. It is necessary to determine the environmental factors under which the plants give higher yields and better quality to solve this problem. The problem of salinity is characterized by disruption in the physiological processes in plant which lead to shorting in growth and decrease in yield. The study was carried out to control fusarium disease in tomato plant irrigated with salt water (500, 1500, 15000, 45000 and 100000 ppm). These treatments lead to excess in malic and citric acids i.e. from 21 mmol/g fresh weight in control to 38.8 mmol/g fresh weight at 100000 ppm for citric acid while for malic acid, the value was increased from 1.4 mmol/g fresh weight for control to 2.1 mmol/g fresh weight. The excess of malic and citric acids lead to increase in acidity and vitamin C in tomato fruits. On the other side, the plant may adapt to this stress by increasing its proline content from 0.59 µmol/g fresh weight to 6.56 µmol/g fresh weight at 100000 and abscisic acid from 0.49 µmol/g fresh weight to 20.7 µmol/g fresh weight. The results showed that the fusarium fungal growth was observed till 100000 ppm but did not form sclerotia spores at 45000 ppm. On the other hand, the electrical conductivity was found to be 0.46, 2.3, 23.1, 69.2 and 153.8 dS/m for salinity levels of 500, 1500, 15000, 45000 and 100000 ppm, respectively. This study aimed to control the fusarium wilt disease by irrigating the plant with water has high salinity

  1. Effect of saline conditions on the maturation process of Clementine clemenules fruits on two different rootstocks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Navarro, J. M.; Gomez-Gomez, A.; Perez-Perez, J. G.; Botia, P.

    2010-07-01

    The production of mandarins is important in the Mediterranean area, where the continued use of saline water reduces fruit yield and modifies fruit quality. Grafted trees of Clemenules mandarin scion on Carrizo citrange and Cleopatra mandarin rootstocks, two of the most common citrus rootstocks employed in this area, were irrigated with two saline treatments (control and 30 mM NaCl). The fruit quality was studied through the last two months before the fruit harvest. Salinity reduced both the fruit number and the mean fruit weight on Carrizo trees whereas no fruit weight reduction was observed on Cleopatra. The decrease of fruit weight on Carrizo trees is probably due to the lower water content and consequently the lower juice percentage. Although the saline treatment produced significant differences in some fruit quality variables (shape and thickness indices) throughout the maturation process, they were minimal at the harvest time. Total soluble solids (TSS) were significantly higher in fruits from the saline treatments, probably due to a passive dehydration. It is also possible that de novo synthesis of sugars occurred, since fruits from Cleopatra trees receiving the saline treatment had similar water contents but higher TSS than control fruits. The external fruit colour indicated that the saline treatment accelerated the maturation process; however, the maturity index showed that the high acidity of these fruits delayed the internal maturation with respect to the control fruits. (Author) 41 refs.

  2. On the relative roles of hydrology, salinity, temperature, and root productivity in controlling soil respiration from coastal swamps (freshwater)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krauss, Ken W.; Whitbeck, Julie L.; Howard, Rebecca J.

    2012-01-01

    Background and aims Soil CO2 emissions can dominate gaseous carbon losses from forested wetlands (swamps), especially those positioned in coastal environments. Understanding the varied roles of hydroperiod, salinity, temperature, and root productivity on soil respiration is important in discerning how carbon balances may shift as freshwater swamps retreat inland with sea-level rise and salinity incursion, and convert to mixed communities with marsh plants. Methods We exposed soil mesocosms to combinations of permanent flooding, tide, and salinity, and tracked soil respiration over 2 1/2 growing seasons. We also related these measurements to rates from field sites along the lower Savannah River, Georgia, USA. Soil temperature and root productivity were assessed simultaneously for both experiments. Results Soil respiration from mesocosms (22.7-1678.2 mg CO2 m-2 h-1) differed significantly among treatments during four of the seven sampling intervals, where permanently flooded treatments contributed to low rates of soil respiration and tidally flooded treatments sometimes contributed to higher rates. Permanent flooding reduced the overall capacity for soil respiration as soils warmed. Salinity did reduce soil respiration at times in tidal treatments, indicating that salinity may affect the amount of CO2 respired with tide more strongly than under permanent flooding. However, soil respiration related greatest to root biomass (mesocosm) and standing root length (field); any stress reducing root productivity (incl. salinity and permanent flooding) therefore reduces soil respiration. Conclusions Overall, we hypothesized a stronger, direct role for salinity on soil respiration, and found that salinity effects were being masked by varied capacities for increases in respiration with soil warming as dictated by hydrology, and the indirect influence that salinity can have on plant productivity.

  3. Effects of Wall-Normal and Angular Momentum Injections in Airfoil Separation Control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munday, Phillip M.; Taira, Kunihiko

    2018-05-01

    The objective of this computational study is to quantify the influence of wall-normal and angular momentum injections in suppressing laminar flow separation over a canonical airfoil. Open-loop control of fully separated, incompressible flow over a NACA 0012 airfoil at $\\alpha = 9^\\circ$ and $Re = 23,000$ is examined with large-eddy simulations. This study independently introduces wall-normal momentum and angular momentum into the separated flow using swirling jets through model boundary conditions. The response of the flow field and the surface vorticity fluxes to various combinations of actuation inputs are examined in detail. It is observed that the addition of angular momentum input to wall-normal momentum injection enhances the suppression of flow separation. Lift enhancement and suppression of separation with the wall-normal and angular momentum inputs are characterized by modifying the standard definition of the coefficient of momentum. The effect of angular momentum is incorporated into the modified coefficient of momentum by introducing a characteristic swirling jet velocity based on the non-dimensional swirl number. With this single modified coefficient of momentum, we are able to categorize each controlled flow into separated, transitional, and attached flows.

  4. Effects of imidacloprid on soil microbial communities in different saline soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qingming; Xue, Changhui; Wang, Caixia

    2015-12-01

    The effects of imidacloprid in the soil environment are a worldwide concern. However, the impact of imidacloprid on soil microorganisms under salt stress is almost unknown. Therefore, an indoor incubation test was performed, and the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) approach was used to determine the response of different saline soil bacterial and fungal community structures to the presence of imidacloprid (0.4, 2, 10 mg kg(-1)). The results showed that the soil bacterial diversity slightly declined with increasing imidacloprid concentration in soils with low salinity. In moderately saline soils, a new band in the DGGE profile suggested that imidacloprid could improve the soil bacterial diversity to some degree. An analysis of variance indicated that the measured soil bacterial diversity parameters were significantly affected by dose and incubation time. Compared with the control, the soil fungal community structure showed no obvious changes in low and moderately saline soils treated with imidacloprid. The results of these observations provide a basic understanding of the potential ecological effects of imidacloprid on different microorganisms in saline soils.

  5. Effects of deficit drip-irrigation scheduling regimes with saline water on pepper yield, water productivity and soil salinity under arid conditions of Tunisia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamel Nagaz

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available A two-year study was carried out in order to assess the effects of different irrigation scheduling regimes with saline water on soil salinity, yield and water productivity of pepper under actual commercial-farming conditions in the arid region of Tunisia. Pepper was grown on a sandy soil and drip-irrigated with water having an ECi of 3.6 dS/m. Irrigation treatments consisted in water replacements of accumulated ETc at levels of 100% (FI, full irrigation, 80% (DI-80, 60% (DI-60, when the readily available water in the control treatment (FI is depleted, deficit irrigation during ripening stage (FI-MDI60 and farmer method corresponding to irrigation practices implemented by the local farmers (FM. Results on pepper yield and soil salinity are globally consistent between the two-year experiments and shows significant difference between irrigation regimes. Higher soil salinity was maintained over the two seasons, 2008 and 2009, with DI-60 and FM treatments than FI. FI-MDI60 and DI-80 treatments resulted also in low ECe values. Highest yields for both years were obtained under FI (22.3 and 24.4 t/ha although we didn’t find significant differences with the regulated deficit irrigation treatment (FI-DI60. However, the DI-80 and DI-60 treatments caused significant reductions in pepper yields through a reduction in fruits number/m² and average fruit weight in comparison with FI treatment. The FM increased soil salinity and caused significant reductions in yield with 14 to 43%, 12 to 39% more irrigation water use than FI, FI-MDI60 and DI-80 treatments, respectively, in 2008 and 2009. Yields for all irrigation treatments were higher in the second year compared to the first year. Water productivity (WP values reflected this difference and varied between 2.31 and 5.49 kg/m3. The WP was found to vary significantly among treatments, where the highest and the lowest values were observed for DI-60 treatment and FM, respectively. FI treatment provides

  6. Intra-Articular Injection of Cross-Linked Hyaluronic Acid-Dexamethasone Hydrogel Attenuates Osteoarthritis: An Experimental Study in a Rat Model of Osteoarthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhiwei; Wei, Xiaochun; Gao, Jizong; Zhao, Yu; Zhao, Yamin; Guo, Li; Chen, Chongwei; Duan, Zhiqing; Li, Pengcui; Wei, Lei

    2016-04-15

    Cross-linked hyaluronic acid hydrogel (cHA gel) and dexamethasone (Dex) have been used to treat knee osteoarthritis (OA) in clinical practice owing to their chondroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects, respectively. The aim of the present study was to compare the treatment effects of the cHA gel pre-mixed with/without Dex in a surgery-induced osteoarthritis model in rats. Anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) surgery was performed on the right knee of rats to induce OA. Male 2-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups (n = 10/per group): (1) ACLT + saline; (2) ACLT + cHA gel; (3) ACLT + cHA-Dex (0.2 mg/mL) gel; (4) ACLT + cHA-Dex (0.5 mg/mL) gel; (5) Sham + saline. Intra-joint injections were performed four weeks after ACLT in the right knee. All animals were euthanized at 12 weeks post-surgery. Cartilage damage and changes in the synovial membrane were assessed by micro X-ray, Indian ink articular surface staining, Safranin-O/Fast Green staining, immunohistochemistry, hematoxylin and eosin staining of the synovial membrane, and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for changes in gene expression. Micro X-ray revealed that the knee joint treated with the cHA-Dex gel was wider than those treated with cHA gel alone or saline. The cHA-Dex gel group had less Indian ink staining (indicator of cartilage fibrillation) than the cHA gel or saline injection groups. Safranin-O/Fast Green staining indicated that increased proteoglycan staining and less cartilage damage were found in the cHA-Dex gel group compared with the cHA gel or saline injection groups. Quantification of histology findings from saline, cHA gel, cHA-Dex (0.2 mg/mL) gel, cHA-Dex (0.5 mg/mL) gel, and sham groups were 5.84 ± 0.29, 4.50 ± 0.87, 3.00 ± 1.00, 2.00 ± 0.48, and 0.30 ± 0.58 (p < 0.05), respectively. A strong staining of type II collagen was found in both the cHA-Dex gel groups compared with saline group or cHA alone group. Similar

  7. Preliminary histopathological study of intra-articular injection of a novel highly cross-linked hyaluronic acid in a rabbit model of knee osteoarthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iannitti, Tommaso; Elhensheri, Mohamed; Bingöl, Ali O; Palmieri, Beniamino

    2013-04-01

    Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease mostly occurring in the knee and commonly seen in middle-aged and elderly adults. Intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid has been widely used for treatment of knee osteoarthritis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of intra-articular injection of a novel highly cross-linked hyaluronic acid, alone or in combination with ropivacaine hydrochloride and triamcinolone acetonide, on knee articular cartilage in a rabbit model of collagenase-induced knee osteoarthritis. After induction of experimental osteoarthritis by intra-articular injection of collagenase, adult New Zealand white rabbits (n = 12) were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 (control group) received 0.3 ml phosphate buffered saline into the right knee joint. Group 2 received 0.3 ml cross-linked hyaluronic acid (33 mg/ml) into the right knee joint. Group 3 received a mixture of 0.15 ml cross-linked hyaluronic acid (33 mg/ml), 0.05 ml ropivacaine hydrochloride 1 % and 0.1 ml triamcinolone acetonide (10 mg/ml) into the right knee joint. Intra-articular injections were given 4 weeks after first collagenase injection and were administered once a week for 3 weeks. Gross pathology and histological evaluation of rabbits' knee joints were performed after 16 weeks following initial collagenase injection. Histological analysis of sections of right knee joints at lesion sites showed a significant decrease in Mankin's score in groups treated with hyaluronic acid alone or in combination with ropivacaine hydrochloride and triamcinolone acetonide versus control group (p hyaluronic acid, alone or in combination with ropivacaine hydrochloride and triamcinolone acetonide, produces a significant improvement in knee articular cartilage degeneration in a rabbit model of collagenase-induced osteoarthritis.

  8. Reactor water injection facility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoshikawa, Kazuhiro; Kinoshita, Shoichiro

    1997-05-02

    A steam turbine and an electric generator are connected by way of a speed convertor. The speed convertor is controlled so that the number of rotation of the electric generator is constant irrespective of the speed change of the steam turbine. A shaft coupler is disposed between the turbine and the electric generator or between the turbine and a water injection pump. With such a constitution, the steam turbine and the electric generator are connected by way of the speed convertor, and since the number of revolution of the electric generator is controlled to be constant, the change of the number of rotation of the turbine can be controlled irrespective of the change of the number of rotation of the electric generator. Accordingly, the flow rate of the injection water from the water injection pump to a reactor pressure vessel can be controlled freely thereby enabling to supply stable electric power. (T.M.)

  9. Experimental investigation of geochemical and mineralogical effects of CO2 sequestration on flow characteristics of reservoir rock in deep saline aquifers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rathnaweera, T. D.; Ranjith, P. G.; Perera, M. S. A.

    2016-01-01

    Interactions between injected CO2, brine, and rock during CO2 sequestration in deep saline aquifers alter their natural hydro-mechanical properties, affecting the safety, and efficiency of the sequestration process. This study aims to identify such interaction-induced mineralogical changes in aquifers, and in particular their impact on the reservoir rock’s flow characteristics. Sandstone samples were first exposed for 1.5 years to a mixture of brine and super-critical CO2 (scCO2), then tested to determine their altered geochemical and mineralogical properties. Changes caused uniquely by CO2 were identified by comparison with samples exposed over a similar period to either plain brine or brine saturated with N2. The results show that long-term reaction with CO2 causes a significant pH drop in the saline pore fluid, clearly due to carbonic acid (as dissolved CO2) in the brine. Free H+ ions released into the pore fluid alter the mineralogical structure of the rock formation, through the dissolution of minerals such as calcite, siderite, barite, and quartz. Long-term CO2 injection also creates a significant CO2 drying-out effect and crystals of salt (NaCl) precipitate in the system, further changing the pore structure. Such mineralogical alterations significantly affect the saline aquifer’s permeability, with important practical consequences for the sequestration process. PMID:26785912

  10. Effect of Metabolic Syndrome on the Functional Outcome of Corticosteroid Injection for Lateral Epicondylitis: Retrospective Matched Case-Control Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roh, Young Hak; Oh, Minjoon; Noh, Jung Ho; Gong, Hyun Sik; Baek, Goo Hyun

    2017-09-07

    Both obesity and diabetes mellitus are well-known risk factors for tendinopathies. We retrospectively compared the efficacy of single corticosteroid injections in treating lateral epicondylitis in patients with and without metabolic syndrome (MetS). Fifty-one patients with lateral epicondylitis and MetS were age- and sex-matched with 51 controls without MetS. Pain severity, Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand score, and grip strength were assessed at base line and at 6, 12 and 24 weeks post-injection. The pain scores in the MetS group were greater than those in the control group at 6 and 12 weeks. The disability scores and grip strength in the MetS group were significantly worse than those of the control group at 6 weeks. However, there were no significant differences at 24 weeks between the groups in terms of pain, disability scores and grip strengths. After 24 weeks, three patients (6%) in the control group and five patients (10%) in the MetS group had surgical decompression (p = 0.46). Patients with MetS are at risk for poor functional outcome after corticosteroid injection for lateral epicondylitis in the short term, but in the long term there was no difference in outcomes of steroid injection in patients with and without MetS.

  11. Flow improvers for water injection based on surfactants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oskarsson, H.; Uneback, I.; Hellsten, M.

    2006-03-15

    In many cases it is desirable to increase the flow of injection water when an oil well deteriorates. It is very costly in offshore operation to lay down an additional water pipe to the injection site. Flow improvers for the injection water will thus be the most cost-effective way to increase the flow rate. During the last years water-soluble polymers have also been applied for this purpose. These drag-reducing polymers are however only slowly biodegraded which has been an incentive for the development of readily biodegradable surfactants as flow improvers for injection water. A combination of a zwitterionic and an anionic surfactant has been tested in a 5.5 inch, 700 m long flow loop containing sulphate brine with salinity similar to sea water. A drag reduction between 75 and 80% was achieved with 119 ppm in solution of the surfactant blend at an average velocity of 1.9 m/s and between 50 and 55% at 2.9 m/s. The surfactants in this formulation were also found to be readily biodegradable in sea water and low bio accumulating which means they have an improved environmental profile compared to the polymers used today. Due to the self-healing properties of the drag-reducing structures formed by surfactants, these may be added before the pump section - contrary to polymers which are permanently destroyed by high shear forces. (Author)

  12. Plasma bupivacaine concentrations following orbital injections in cats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shilo-Benjamini, Yael; Pypendop, Bruno H; Newbold, Georgina; Pascoe, Peter J

    2017-01-01

    To determine plasma bupivacaine concentrations after retrobulbar or peribulbar injection of bupivacaine in cats. Randomized, crossover, experimental trial with a 2 week washout period. Six adult healthy cats, aged 1-2 years, weighing 4.6 ± 0.7 kg. Cats were sedated by intramuscular injection of dexmedetomidine (36-56 μg kg -1 ) and were administered a retrobulbar injection of bupivacaine (0.75 mL, 0.5%; 3.75 mg) and iopamidol (0.25 mL), or a peribulbar injection of bupivacaine (1.5 mL, 0.5%; 7.5 mg), iopamidol (0.5 mL) and 0.9% saline (1 mL) via a dorsomedial approach. Blood (2 mL) was collected before and at 5, 10, 15, 22, 30, 45, 60, 120, 240 and 480 minutes after bupivacaine injection. Atipamezole was administered approximately 30 minutes after bupivacaine injection. Plasma bupivacaine and 3-hydroxybupivacaine concentrations were determined using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Bupivacaine maximum plasma concentration (C max ) and time to C max (T max ) were determined from the data. The bupivacaine median (range) C max and T max were 1.4 (0.9-2.5) μg mL -1 and 17 (4-60) minutes, and 1.7 (1.0-2.4) μg mL -1 , and 28 (8-49) minutes, for retrobulbar and peribulbar injections, respectively. In both treatments the 3-hydroxybupivacaine peak concentration was 0.05-0.21 μg mL -1 . In healthy cats, at doses up to 2 mg kg -1 , bupivacaine peak plasma concentrations were approximately half that reported to cause arrhythmias or convulsive electroencephalogram (EEG) activity in cats, and about one-sixth of that required to produce hypotension. Copyright © 2016 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid for the reduction in joint adhesion formation in a rabbit model of knee injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Min; Liu, Chao; Xiao, Wei

    2014-07-01

    Our purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid (HA) into immobilized joints for reducing rigidity and formation of joint adhesions following surgery and prolonged joint immobilization. Twenty-four New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into experimental (n = 12) and control groups (n = 12). A model of knee injury was created in the right hind leg, and external plaster fixation was performed for 8 weeks. The experimental and control groups received weekly intra-articular injections of 0.3 mL HA solution or normal saline, respectively, in the knee joint. The degree of adhesions, range of motion (ROM), and collagen content of the synovium of the knee joint were observed after 8 weeks. At the end of 8 weeks, the experimental compared with control group had significantly higher mean ROM (70.3° ± 11.1° vs. 54.6° ± 11.2°, respectively; P = 0.002) and mean adhesion score. The experimental group compared with the control group had significantly lower mean adhesion score (2.2 ± 0.9 vs. 3.1 ± 0.7, respectively; P = 0.012) and collagen content (32.4 ± 4.7 vs. 39.0 ± 4.2 μg/mg, P = 0.001). In a rabbit model of knee injury, intra-articular injection of HA decreased adhesion formation and collagen content and increased ROM after prolonged immobilization. These results indicate that HA may be clinically useful to prevent adhesions and improve joint mobility in patients who require joint immobilization for up to 8 weeks.

  14. Botulinum toxin type A for cephalic cutaneous allodynia in chronic migraine: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciano Hollanda

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Cephalic allodynia (CA can be observed in 50-70% of patients with chronic migraine (CM. The aim of this trial was to assess the efficacy of botulinum toxin type A (Botx-A in the treatment of CA associated with CM. In this placebo-controlled trial, patients were randomized either into Botx-A or 0.9% saline injections and efficacy measures were assessed every 4 weeks for 3 months. Efficacy endpoints were number of migraine episodes associated with CA, changes from baseline in visual analogical scale scores for pain (VAS and frequency of common analgesics use for migraine. A total of 38 subjects were randomized to saline (n=18 or Botx-A (n=20. There were no significant differences in baseline between active intervention or placebo groups regarding mean age, number of headache episodes [mean 12.1 (9.22 and 17.00 (9.69 respectively; P=0.12], pain severity as measured by the VAS or frequency of analgesic use for headache episodes. Efficacy analysis showed that Botx-A injections led to an important decrease from baseline in the mean migraine episodes associated with CA after 12 weeks (5.20 versus 11.17; P=0.01. Also, VAS scores and frequency of analgesics use for headache were significantly reduced in the Botx-A group. This study suggests that Botx-A injections are superior to saline in the treatment of CA associated with CM, with mild self limited side effects.

  15. Selection of rice mutants Oryza Sativa L. with tolerance to saline grounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hernandez Aguero, L.A.

    2001-01-01

    A selection of rice mutants with tolerance to salinity, took place in the Escuela de Ciencias Agrarias de la Universidad Nacional de Heredia, in conditions of hothouse starting from a population of M2 segregative seed, coming from commercial seed radiated with Co 60 gamma rays. The studied segregatives were: Setesa-9, Experimental II and Experimental I. For making this selection, the seed M2 was planted in plastic trays with saline soil with electrical conductivity values from 8 to 10 mmhos/cm. In each case, non-radiated original seed was used as control. After 22 days the seedling germinated, an evaluation was made and it was seen that any of the controls had resisted to the saline stress, and only those segregatives resistent to salinity survived. These were the next ones: 9 individuals of Setesa, 10 of the Experimental II, and 9 of Experimental I. The index of selection obtained was: 3.6, 4.0 y 3.6 respectively. In a second phase of the experiment, the seedling selected as salinity resistant, were taken to the ground were they were developed for getting the M3 mutant seed tolerant to salinity. The plants were individually harvested in the ground and each one had a specific identification. Then, weight and number data, fertile grain and ineffectives of the M3 seed were taken. After, for corroborating the capacity of tolerance to salinity, M3 seed was planted in flowerpots with saline soil with a value of electrical conductivity between 8 and 10 mmhos/cm. After data were analyzed, it was proved that some rice mutants had a profit of even 28 grams for 1000 grams as: ExpI-17, ExpI-15, ExpI-08, ExpII-22, ExpII-08, ExpII-30 and Se-9-14, Se-9-39 and Se-9-10. Therefore, the methodology utilized showed being effective and efficient for the objectives of the work [es

  16. Molecular-structure control of ultrafast electron injection at cationic porphyrin-CdTe quantum dot interfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Aly, Shawkat Mohammede

    2015-03-05

    Charge transfer (CT) at donor (D)/acceptor (A) interfaces is central to the functioning of photovoltaic and light-emitting devices. Understanding and controlling this process on the molecular level has been proven to be crucial for optimizing the performance of many energy-challenge relevant devices. Here, we report the experimental observations of controlled on/off ultrafast electron transfer (ET) at cationic porphyrin-CdTe quantum dot (QD) interfaces using femto- and nanosecond broad-band transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy. The time-resolved data demonstrate how one can turn on/off the electron injection from porphyrin to the CdTe QDs. With careful control of the molecular structure, we are able to tune the electron injection at the porphyrin-CdTe QD interface from zero to very efficient and ultrafast. In addition, our data demonstrate that the ET process occurs within our temporal resolution of 120 fs, which is one of the fastest times recorded for organic photovoltaics. © 2015 American Chemical Society.

  17. The use of salinity contrast for density difference compensation to improve the thermal recovery efficiency in high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Lopik, J.H.; Hartog, N.; Zaadnoordijk, Willem Jan

    The efficiency of heat recovery in high-temperature (>60 °C) aquifer thermal energy storage (HT-ATES) systems is limited due to the buoyancy of the injected hot water. This study investigates the potential to improve the efficiency through compensation of the density difference by increased salinity

  18. Radiation tolerance studies using fault injection on the Readout Control FPGA design of the ALICE TPC detector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alme, J.; Fehlker, D.; Lippmann, C.; Mager, M.; Rehman, A. U.; Røed, K.; Röhrich, D.; Ullaland, K.

    2013-01-01

    Single Event Upsets (SEUs) are a major concern for the TPC Readout Control Unit (RCU) of the ALICE experiment. A SEU is defined as a radiation related bit-flip in a memory cell, and a SEU in the onboard SRAM based FPGA of the RCU may lead to corrupted data or, even worse, a system malfunction. The latter situation will affect the operation of the ALICE detector since it causes a premature end of data taking. Active partial reconfiguration is utilized in a dedicated reconfiguration solution on the RCU, and this makes it possible to implement fault injection. Fault injection means inserting bit flips in the configuration memory of the FPGA in a controlled laboratory environment. This paper presents the results of the fault injection study and shows how this result can be combined with SEU measurements to estimate the functional failure rate as a function of luminosity.

  19. Recovery of rat muscle size but not function more than 1 year after a single botulinum toxin injection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Samuel R; Minamoto, Viviane B; Suzuki, Kentaro P; Hulst, Jonah B; Bremner, Shannon N; Lieber, Richard L

    2018-03-01

    Neurotoxin injection is used to treat a wide variety of neuromuscular disorders. The purpose of this study was to measure the functional and structural properties of botulinum toxin-injected adult rat skeletal muscle over nearly the entire lifespan. Ten groups of animals were subjected to either neurotoxin injection [Botox, Type A (BT-A); Allergan, Irvine, California] or saline solution injection. Neurotoxin-injected animals (n = 90) were analyzed at different time-points: 1 week; 1 month; 3 months; 6 months; 12 months; or 18 months. In spite of the recovery of structural features, such as muscle mass and fiber area, dorsiflexion torque production remained significantly depressed by 25%, even at 12 months after neurotoxin injection. The data demonstrate that, after a single BT-A injection, although gross muscle morphology recovered over a 12-month time period, loss of contractile function did not recover. Muscle Nerve 57: 435-441, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Improved sphincter contractility after allogenic muscle-derived progenitor cell injection into the denervated rat urethra.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cannon, Tracy W; Lee, Ji Youl; Somogyi, George; Pruchnic, Ryan; Smith, Christopher P; Huard, Johnny; Chancellor, Michael B

    2003-11-01

    To study the physiologic outcome of allogenic transplant of muscle-derived progenitor cells (MDPCs) in the denervated female rat urethra. MDPCs were isolated from muscle biopsies of normal 6-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats and purified using the preplate technique. Sciatic nerve-transected rats were used as a model of stress urinary incontinence. The experimental group was divided into three subgroups: control, denervated plus 20 microL saline injection, and denervated plus allogenic MDPCs (1 to 1.5 x 10(6) cells) injection. Two weeks after injection, urethral muscle strips were prepared and underwent electrical field stimulation. The pharmacologic effects of d-tubocurare, phentolamine, and tetrodotoxin on the urethral strips were assessed by contractions induced by electrical field stimulation. The urethral tissues also underwent immunohistochemical staining for fast myosin heavy chain and CD4-activated lymphocytes. Urethral denervation resulted in a significant decrease of the maximal fast-twitch muscle contraction amplitude to only 8.77% of the normal urethra and partial impairment of smooth muscle contractility. Injection of MDPCs into the denervated sphincter significantly improved the fast-twitch muscle contraction amplitude to 87.02% of normal animals. Immunohistochemistry revealed a large amount of new skeletal muscle fiber formation at the injection site of the urethra with minimal inflammation. CD4 staining showed minimal lymphocyte infiltration around the MDPC injection sites. Urethral denervation resulted in near-total abolishment of the skeletal muscle and partial impairment of smooth muscle contractility. Allogenic MDPCs survived 2 weeks in sciatic nerve-transected urethra with minimal inflammation. This is the first report of the restoration of deficient urethral sphincter function through muscle-derived progenitor cell tissue engineering. MDPC-mediated cellular urethral myoplasty warrants additional investigation as a new method to treat stress urinary

  1. The effect of saline lock on phlebitis rates of patients in cardiac care units.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eghbali-Babadi, Maryam; Ghadiriyan, Raziyeh; Hosseini, Sayed Mohsen

    2015-01-01

    Despite advances in the field of intravenous therapy, phlebitis is still a common complication of peripheral venous catheter and finding an appropriate solution to prevent and reduce the incidence of this complication remains challenging. One of the methods used in reducing the incidence of phlebitis is the use of saline lock, which is forgotten in most hospitals. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate its impact on the incidence and severity of phlebitis. In a single-blind (the researcher) clinical trial, 88 patients with peripheral venous catheter admitted in cardiac care units in selected hospitals of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, were selected through convenient sampling method. They were randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control groups using random number table. The intervention group received 3 ml of 0.9% normal saline sterilized before and after each intravenous drug or every 12 h. However, in the control group, the intravenous drugs were given as routine and saline lock was not used. The evaluation of intravenous catheter regarding the incidence of phlebitis and its degrees using Jackson's Visual Infusion Phlebitis Scale was performed 6 times within 72 h (every 12 h). Results were evaluated by SPSS software using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, t-test, and Mann-Whitney test. Results showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding the degree of phlebitis (P = 0.003). The percentage of phlebitis incidence in the control group was 88.6% and in the intervention group was 43.2%. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P phlebitis in the group without saline lock (control), compared to the intervention group, was 10.3 times greater (CI = 95%). The incidence of phlebitis in both groups increased with increase in the duration of catheter placement. The results of this study showed that the use of saline lock in the intervention group compared

  2. Automatic and remote controlled ictal SPECT injection for seizure focus localization by use of a commercial contrast agent application pump.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feichtinger, Michael; Eder, Hans; Holl, Alexander; Körner, Eva; Zmugg, Gerda; Aigner, Reingard; Fazekas, Franz; Ott, Erwin

    2007-07-01

    In the presurgical evaluation of patients with partial epilepsy, the ictal single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a useful noninvasive diagnostic tool for seizure focus localization. To achieve optimal SPECT scan quality, ictal tracer injection should be carried out as quickly as possible after the seizure onset and under highest safety conditions possible. Compared to the commonly used manual injection, an automatic administration of the radioactive tracer may provide higher quality standards for this procedure. In this study, therefore, we retrospectively analyzed efficiency and safety of an automatic injection system for ictal SPECT tracer application. Over a 31-month period, 26 patients underwent ictal SPECT by use of an automatic remote-controlled injection pump originally designed for CT-contrast agent application. Various factors were reviewed, including latency of ictal injection, radiation safety parameters, and ictal seizure onset localizing value. Times between seizure onset and tracer injection ranged between 3 and 48 s. In 21 of 26 patients ictal SPECT supported the localization of the epileptogenic focus in the course of the presurgical evaluation. In all cases ictal SPECT tracer injection was performed with a high degree of safety to patients and staff. Ictal SPECT by use of a remote-controlled CT-contrast agent injection system provides a high scan quality and is a safe and confirmatory presurgical evaluation technique in the epilepsy-monitoring unit.

  3. Impact of salinity on element incorporation in two benthic foraminiferal species with contrasting magnesium contents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geerken, Esmee; de Nooijer, Lennart Jan; van Dijk, Inge; Reichart, Gert-Jan

    2018-04-01

    Accurate reconstructions of seawater salinity could provide valuable constraints for studying past ocean circulation, the hydrological cycle and sea level change. Controlled growth experiments and field studies have shown the potential of foraminiferal Na / Ca as a direct salinity proxy. Incorporation of minor and trace elements in foraminiferal shell carbonate varies, however, greatly between species and hence extrapolating calibrations to other species needs validation by additional (culturing) studies. Salinity is also known to impact other foraminiferal carbonate-based proxies, such as Mg / Ca for temperature and Sr / Ca for sea water carbonate chemistry. Better constraints on the role of salinity on these proxies will therefore improve their reliability. Using a controlled growth experiment spanning a salinity range of 20 units and analysis of element composition on single chambers using laser ablation-Q-ICP-MS, we show here that Na / Ca correlates positively with salinity in two benthic foraminiferal species (Ammonia tepida and Amphistegina lessonii). The Na / Ca values differ between the two species, with an approximately 2-fold higher Na / Ca in A. lessonii than in A. tepida, coinciding with an offset in their Mg content ( ˜ 35 mmol mol-2 versus ˜ 2.5 mmol mol-1 for A. lessonii and A. tepida, respectively). Despite the offset in average Na / Ca values, the slopes of the Na / Ca-salinity regressions are similar between these two species (0.077 versus 0.064 mmol mol-1 change per salinity unit). In addition, Mg / Ca and Sr / Ca are positively correlated with salinity in cultured A. tepida but show no correlation with salinity for A. lessonii. Electron microprobe mapping of incorporated Na and Mg of the cultured specimens shows that within chamber walls of A. lessonii, Na / Ca and Mg / Ca occur in elevated bands in close proximity to the primary organic lining. Between species, Mg banding is relatively similar, even though Mg content is 10 times lower and

  4. Effect of salinity on biomass yield and physiological and stem-root anatomical characteristics of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) accessions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alam, Md Amirul; Juraimi, Abdul Shukor; Rafii, M Y; Abdul Hamid, Azizah

    2015-01-01

    13 selected purslane accessions were subjected to five salinity levels 0, 8, 16, 24, and 32 dS m(-1). Salinity effect was evaluated on the basis of biomass yield reduction, physiological attributes, and stem-root anatomical changes. Aggravated salinity stress caused significant (P < 0.05) reduction in all measured parameters and the highest salinity showed more detrimental effect compared to control as well as lower salinity levels. The fresh and dry matter production was found to increase in Ac1, Ac9, and Ac13 from lower to higher salinity levels but others were badly affected. Considering salinity effect on purslane physiology, increase in chlorophyll content was seen in Ac2, Ac4, Ac6, and Ac8 at 16 dS m(-1) salinity, whereas Ac4, Ac9, and Ac12 showed increased photosynthesis at the same salinity levels compared to control. Anatomically, stem cortical tissues of Ac5, Ac9, and Ac12 were unaffected at control and 8 dS m(-1) salinity but root cortical tissues did not show any significant damage except a bit enlargement in Ac12 and Ac13. A dendrogram was constructed by UPGMA based on biomass yield and physiological traits where all 13 accessions were grouped into 5 clusters proving greater diversity among them. The 3-dimensional principal component analysis (PCA) has also confirmed the output of grouping from cluster analysis. Overall, salinity stressed among all 13 purslane accessions considering biomass production, physiological growth, and anatomical development Ac9 was the best salt-tolerant purslane accession and Ac13 was the most affected accession.

  5. Effect of Salinity on Biomass Yield and Physiological and Stem-Root Anatomical Characteristics of Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L. Accessions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Md. Amirul Alam

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available 13 selected purslane accessions were subjected to five salinity levels 0, 8, 16, 24, and 32 dS m−1. Salinity effect was evaluated on the basis of biomass yield reduction, physiological attributes, and stem-root anatomical changes. Aggravated salinity stress caused significant (P<0.05 reduction in all measured parameters and the highest salinity showed more detrimental effect compared to control as well as lower salinity levels. The fresh and dry matter production was found to increase in Ac1, Ac9, and Ac13 from lower to higher salinity levels but others were badly affected. Considering salinity effect on purslane physiology, increase in chlorophyll content was seen in Ac2, Ac4, Ac6, and Ac8 at 16 dS m−1 salinity, whereas Ac4, Ac9, and Ac12 showed increased photosynthesis at the same salinity levels compared to control. Anatomically, stem cortical tissues of Ac5, Ac9, and Ac12 were unaffected at control and 8 dS m−1 salinity but root cortical tissues did not show any significant damage except a bit enlargement in Ac12 and Ac13. A dendrogram was constructed by UPGMA based on biomass yield and physiological traits where all 13 accessions were grouped into 5 clusters proving greater diversity among them. The 3-dimensional principal component analysis (PCA has also confirmed the output of grouping from cluster analysis. Overall, salinity stressed among all 13 purslane accessions considering biomass production, physiological growth, and anatomical development Ac9 was the best salt-tolerant purslane accession and Ac13 was the most affected accession.

  6. Control of runaway electron energy using externally injected whistler waves

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Zehua; McDevitt, Christopher J.; Tang, Xian-Zhu

    2018-03-01

    One way of mitigating runaway damage of the plasma-facing components in a tokamak fusion reactor is by limiting the runaway electron energy under a few MeV, while not necessarily reducing the runaway current appreciably. Here, we describe a physics mechanism by which such momentum space engineering of the runaway distribution can be facilitated by externally injected high-frequency electromagnetic waves such as whistler waves. The drastic impact that wave-induced scattering can have on the runaway energy distribution is fundamentally the result of its ability to control the runaway vortex in the momentum space. The runaway vortex, which is a local circulation of runaways in momentum space, is the outcome of the competition between Coulomb collisions, synchrotron radiation damping, and runaway acceleration by the parallel electric field. By introducing a wave that resonantly interacts with runaways in a particular range of energies which is mildly relativistic, the enhanced scattering would reshape the vortex by cutting off the part that is highly relativistic. The efficiency of resonant scattering accentuates the requirement that the wave amplitude can be small so the power requirement from external wave injection is practical for the mitigation scheme.

  7. Controlling runaway vortex via externally injected high-frequency electromagnetic waves

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Zehua; McDevitt, Chris; Tang, Xianzhu

    2017-10-01

    One way of mitigating runaway damage of the plasma-facing components in a tokamak fusion reactor is by limiting the runaway electron energy under a few MeV, while not necessarily reducing the runaway current appreciably. Here we describe a physics mechanism by which such momentum space engineering of the runaway distribution can be facilitated by externally injected high-frequency electromagnetic waves such as the whistler waves. The drastic impact that wave-induced scattering can have on the runaway energy distribution is fundamentally the result of its ability to control the runaway vortex in the momentum space. The runaway vortex, which is a local circulation of runaways in momentum space, is the outcome of the competition between Coulomb collisions, synchrotron radiation damping, and runaway acceleration by parallel electric field. By introducing a wave that resonantly interacts with runaways at a particular range of energy that is mildly relativistic, the enhanced scattering would reshape the vortex by cutting off the part that is highly relativistic. The efficiency of resonant scattering accentuates the requirement that the wave amplitude can be small so the power requirement from external wave injection is practical for the mitigation scheme.

  8. Efficacy of nebulised L-adrenaline with 3% hypertonic saline versus normal saline in bronchiolitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shabnam Sharmin

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: Bronchiolitis is one of the most common respiratory diseases requiring hospitalization. Nebulized epineph­rine and salbutamol therapy has been used in different centres with varying results. Objective: The objective of the study was to compare the efficacy of nebulised adrenaline diluted with 3% hypertonic saline with nebulised adrenaline diluted with normal saline in bronchiolitis. Methods: Fifty three infants and young children with bronchiolitis, age ranging from 2 months to 2 years, presenting in the emergency department of Manikganj Sadar Hospital were enrolled in the study. After initial evaluation, patients were randomized to receive either nebulized adrenaline I .5 ml ( 1.5 mg diluted with 2 ml of3% hypertonic saline (group I ornebulised adrenaline 1.5 ml (1.5 mg diluted with 2 ml of normal saline (group II. Patients were evaluated again 30 minutes after nebulization. Results: Twenty eight patients in the group I (hypertonic saline and twenty five in groupII (normal saline were included in the study. After nebulization, mean respiratory rate decreased from 63.7 to 48.1 (p<.01, mean clinical severity score decreased from 8.5 to 3.5 (p<.01 and mean oxygen satw·ation increased 94.7% to 96.9% (p<.01 in group I. In group II, mean respiratory rate decreased from 62.4 to 47.4 (p<.01, mean clinical severity score decreased from 7.2 to 4.1 (p<.01 and mean oxygen saturation increased from 94. 7% to 96. 7% (p<.01. Mean respiratory rate decreased by 16 in group I versus 14.8 (p>.05 in group 11, mean clinical severity score decreased by 4.6 in group versus 3 (p<.05 in group, and mean oxygen saturation increased by 2.2% and 1.9% in group and group respectively. Difference in reduction in clinical severity score was statistically significant , though the changes in respiratory rate and oxygen saturation were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The study concluded that both nebulised adrenaline diluted with 3% hypertonic saline and

  9. Effect of Salinity Stress on Morphological and Proline Content of Eight Landraces Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum - graecum L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H Farhadi

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available In order to evaluate the effect of salinity on some morphological characteristics and proline content of eight fenugreek landraces and identification of the best landrace, a factorial experiment was conducted on the basis of complete randomized design with three replicates in the research field of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in 2013. Experimental treatments were combination of eight fenugreek landrace (Isfahan, Tabriz, Hamedan, Sari, Challous, Amol, Mashhad and Yasooj and four levels of salinity stress (0, 60, 120 and 180 Mm NaCl. The ANOVA results revealed the significant effect of salinity on plant height, number of branches/plant, number of nodes, inter nodal distance, root length, shoot length, root dry weight, shoot dry weight, fresh weight of fruit, nut and proline content. The highest level of salinity (180 mM NaCl significantly decreased the mentioned plant characters by 16.72%, 30.44%, 18.22%, 49.45%, 11.95%, 13%, 48.44%, 57.90%, 59.56%, 54.11% compared to control respectively. Proline content in the highest salinity level (180 mM NaCl was increased by 44.57% compared to control. The greatest amount of shoot vegetative yield was obtained from control (without salinity and the highest rate of proline was achieved from 180 Mm treatment.

  10. Control of fire blight (Erwinia amylovora on apple trees with trunk-injected plant resistance inducers and antibiotics and assessment of induction of pathogenesis-related protein genes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Srđan G. Aćimović

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Management of fire blight is complicated by limitations on use of antibiotics in agriculture, antibiotic resistance development, and limited efficacy of alternative control agents. Even though successful in control, preventive antibiotic sprays also affect non-target bacteria, aiding the selection for resistance which could ultimately be transferred to the pathogen Erwinia amylovora. Trunk injection is a target-precise pesticide delivery method that utilizes tree xylem to distribute injected compounds. Trunk injection could decrease antibiotic usage in the open environment and increase the effectiveness of compounds in fire blight control. In field experiments, after 1-2 apple tree injections of either streptomycin, potassium phosphites (PH or acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM, significant reduction of blossom and shoot blight symptoms was observed compared to water- or non-injected control trees. Overall disease suppression with streptomycin was lower than typically observed following spray applications to flowers. Trunk injection of oxytetracycline resulted in excellent control of shoot blight severity, suggesting that injection is a superior delivery method for this antibiotic. Injection of both ASM and PH resulted in the significant induction of PR-1, PR-2 and PR-8 protein genes in apple leaves indicating induction of systemic acquired resistance (SAR under field conditions. The time separating SAR induction and fire blight symptom suppression indicated that various defensive compounds within the SAR response were synthesized and accumulated in the canopy. ASM and PH suppressed fire blight even after cessation of induced gene expression. With the development of injectable formulations and optimization of doses and injection schedules, the injection of protective compounds could serve as an effective option for fire blight control.

  11. Modelling soil salinity in Oued El Abid watershed, Morocco

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mouatassime Sabri, El; Boukdir, Ahmed; Karaoui, Ismail; Arioua, Abdelkrim; Messlouhi, Rachid; El Amrani Idrissi, Abdelkhalek

    2018-05-01

    Soil salinisation is a phenomenon considered to be a real threat to natural resources in semi-arid climates. The phenomenon is controlled by soil (texture, depth, slope etc.), anthropogenic factors (drainage system, irrigation, crops types, etc.), and climate factors. This study was conducted in the watershed of Oued El Abid in the region of Beni Mellal-Khenifra, aimed at localising saline soil using remote sensing and a regression model. The spectral indices were extracted from Landsat imagery (30 m resolution). A linear correlation of electrical conductivity, which was calculated based on soil samples (ECs), and the values extracted based on spectral bands showed a high accuracy with an R2 (Root square) of 0.80. This study proposes a new spectral salinity index using Landsat bands B1 and B4. This hydro-chemical and statistical study, based on a yearlong survey, showed a moderate amount of salinity, which threatens dam water quality. The results present an improved ability to use remote sensing and regression model integration to detect soil salinity with high accuracy and low cost, and permit intervention at an early stage of salinisation.

  12. A global algorithm for estimating Absolute Salinity

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDougall, T. J.; Jackett, D. R.; Millero, F. J.; Pawlowicz, R.; Barker, P. M.

    2012-12-01

    The International Thermodynamic Equation of Seawater - 2010 has defined the thermodynamic properties of seawater in terms of a new salinity variable, Absolute Salinity, which takes into account the spatial variation of the composition of seawater. Absolute Salinity more accurately reflects the effects of the dissolved material in seawater on the thermodynamic properties (particularly density) than does Practical Salinity. When a seawater sample has standard composition (i.e. the ratios of the constituents of sea salt are the same as those of surface water of the North Atlantic), Practical Salinity can be used to accurately evaluate the thermodynamic properties of seawater. When seawater is not of standard composition, Practical Salinity alone is not sufficient and the Absolute Salinity Anomaly needs to be estimated; this anomaly is as large as 0.025 g kg-1 in the northernmost North Pacific. Here we provide an algorithm for estimating Absolute Salinity Anomaly for any location (x, y, p) in the world ocean. To develop this algorithm, we used the Absolute Salinity Anomaly that is found by comparing the density calculated from Practical Salinity to the density measured in the laboratory. These estimates of Absolute Salinity Anomaly however are limited to the number of available observations (namely 811). In order to provide a practical method that can be used at any location in the world ocean, we take advantage of approximate relationships between Absolute Salinity Anomaly and silicate concentrations (which are available globally).

  13. Correlative BOLD MR imaging of stages of synovitis in a rabbit model of antigen-induced arthritis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doria, Andrea S.; Crawley, Adrian; Gahunia, Harpal; Rayner, Tammy; Tassos, Vivian; Zhong, Anguo; Moineddin, Rahim; Pritzker, Kenneth; Mendes, Maria; Jong, Roland; Salter, Robert B.

    2012-01-01

    Because of the ability of blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) MRI to assess blood oxygenation changes within the microvasculature, this technique holds potential for evaluating early perisynovial changes in inflammatory arthritis. To evaluate the feasibility of BOLD MRI to detect interval perisynovial changes in knees of rabbits with inflammatory arthritis. Rabbit knees were injected with albumin (n=9) or saline (n=6) intra-articularly, or were not injected (control knees, n=9). Except for two rabbits (albumin-injected, n=2 knees; saline-injected, n=2 knees) that unexpectedly died on days 7 and 21 of the experiment, respectively, all other animals were scanned with BOLD MRI on days 0, 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28 after induction of arthritis. T2*-weighted gradient-echo MRI was performed during alternate 30 s of normoxia/hyperoxia. BOLD MRI measurements were compared with clinical, laboratory and histological markers. Percentage of activated voxels was significantly greater in albumin-injected knees than in contralateral saline-injected knees (P=0.04). For albumin-injected knees (P < 0.05) and among different categories of knees (P=0.009), the percentage of activated BOLD voxels varied over time. A quadratic curve for on-and-off BOLD difference was delineated for albumin- and saline-injected knees over time (albumin-injected, P=0.047; saline-injected, P=0.009). A trend toward a significant difference in synovial histological scores between albumin-injected and saline-injected knees was noted only for acute scores (P=0.07). As a proof of concept, BOLD MRI can depict perisynovial changes during progression of experimental arthritis. (orig.)

  14. Correlative BOLD MR imaging of stages of synovitis in a rabbit model of antigen-induced arthritis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Doria, Andrea S. [Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Toronto (Canada); University of Toronto, Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto (Canada); Crawley, Adrian [University of Toronto, Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto (Canada); Toronto Western Hospital, Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto (Canada); Gahunia, Harpal; Rayner, Tammy; Tassos, Vivian; Zhong, Anguo [Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Toronto (Canada); Moineddin, Rahim [Family and Community Medicine, Department of Public Health, Toronto (Canada); Pritzker, Kenneth; Mendes, Maria; Jong, Roland [Mount Sinai Hospital, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Toronto (Canada); Salter, Robert B. [Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Toronto (Canada)

    2012-01-15

    Because of the ability of blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) MRI to assess blood oxygenation changes within the microvasculature, this technique holds potential for evaluating early perisynovial changes in inflammatory arthritis. To evaluate the feasibility of BOLD MRI to detect interval perisynovial changes in knees of rabbits with inflammatory arthritis. Rabbit knees were injected with albumin (n=9) or saline (n=6) intra-articularly, or were not injected (control knees, n=9). Except for two rabbits (albumin-injected, n=2 knees; saline-injected, n=2 knees) that unexpectedly died on days 7 and 21 of the experiment, respectively, all other animals were scanned with BOLD MRI on days 0, 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28 after induction of arthritis. T2*-weighted gradient-echo MRI was performed during alternate 30 s of normoxia/hyperoxia. BOLD MRI measurements were compared with clinical, laboratory and histological markers. Percentage of activated voxels was significantly greater in albumin-injected knees than in contralateral saline-injected knees (P=0.04). For albumin-injected knees (P < 0.05) and among different categories of knees (P=0.009), the percentage of activated BOLD voxels varied over time. A quadratic curve for on-and-off BOLD difference was delineated for albumin- and saline-injected knees over time (albumin-injected, P=0.047; saline-injected, P=0.009). A trend toward a significant difference in synovial histological scores between albumin-injected and saline-injected knees was noted only for acute scores (P=0.07). As a proof of concept, BOLD MRI can depict perisynovial changes during progression of experimental arthritis. (orig.)

  15. Neuronal Activity Stimulated by Liquid Substrates Injection at Zusanli (ST36 Acupoint: The Possible Mechanism of Aquapuncture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chun-Yen Chen

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Aquapuncture is a modified acupuncture technique and it is generally accepted that it has a greater therapeutic effect than acupuncture because of the combination of the acupoint stimulation and the pharmacological effect of the drugs. However, to date, the mechanisms underlying the effects of aquapuncture remain unclear. We hypothesized that both the change in the local spatial configuration and the substrate stimulation of aquapuncture would activate neuronal signaling. Thus, bee venom, normal saline, and vitamins B1 and B12 were injected into a Zusanli (ST36 acupoint as substrate of aquapuncture, whereas a dry needle was inserted into ST36 as a control. After aquapuncture, activated neurons expressing Fos protein were mainly observed in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord in lumbar segments L3–5, with the distribution nearly identical among all groups. However, the bee venom injection induced significantly more Fos-expressing neurons than the other substrates. Based on these data, we suggest that changes in the spatial configuration of the acupoint activate neuronal signaling and that bee venom may further strengthen this neuronal activity. In conclusion, the mechanisms for the effects of aquapuncture appear to be the spatial configuration changes occurring within the acupoint and the ability of injected substrates to stimulate neuronal activity.

  16. Ultrasound-Guided Single-Injection Infraclavicular Block Versus Ultrasound-Guided Double-Injection Axillary Block: A Noninferiority Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boivin, Ariane; Nadeau, Marie-Josée; Dion, Nicolas; Lévesque, Simon; Nicole, Pierre C; Turgeon, Alexis F

    2016-01-01

    Single-injection ultrasound-guided infraclavicular block is a simple, reliable, and effective technique. A simplified double-injection ultrasound-guided axillary block technique with a high success rate recently has been described. It has the advantage of being performed in a superficial and compressible location, with a potentially improved safety profile. However, its effectiveness in comparison with single-injection infraclavicular block has not been established. We hypothesized that the double-injection ultrasound-guided axillary block would show rates of complete sensory block at 30 minutes noninferior to the single-injection ultrasound-guided infraclavicular block. After approval by our research ethics committee and written informed consent, adults undergoing distal upper arm surgery were randomized to either group I, ultrasound-guided single-injection infraclavicular block, or group A, ultrasound-guided double-injection axillary block. In group I, 30 mL of 1.5% mepivacaine was injected posterior to the axillary artery. In group A, 25 mL of 1.5% mepivacaine was injected posteromedial to the axillary artery, after which 5 mL was injected around the musculocutaneous nerve. Primary outcome was the rate of complete sensory block at 30 minutes. Secondary outcomes were the onset of sensory and motor blocks, surgical success rates, performance times, and incidence of complications. All outcomes were assessed by a blinded investigator. The noninferiority of the double-injection ultrasound-guided axillary block was considered if the limits of the 90% confidence intervals (CIs) were within a 10% margin of the rate of complete sensory block of the infraclavicular block. At 30 minutes, the rate of complete sensory block was 79% in group A (90% CI, 71%-85%) compared with 91% in group I (90% CI, 85%-95%); the upper limit of CI of group A is thus included in the established noninferiority margin of 10%. The rate of complete sensory block was lower in group A (proportion

  17. A videotaped intervention to enhance child control and reduce anxiety of the pain of dental injections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinstein, P; Raadal, M; Naidu, S; Yoshida, T; Kvale, G; Milgrom, P

    2003-12-01

    While the psychological literature shows that perceptions of uncontrollability contribute to anxiety and other pathologies, interventions that enhance perceived control have been shown to reduce anxiety. This study attempted to assess a brief videotape to enhance child perceived control in a dental setting. 101 children aged 7-9 years completed warm-up procedures and viewed either: a) the experimental intervention, a 2 minutes video of a dentist explaining what an injection will feel like and proposing hand raising as a signal mechanism; or b) the control condition, a 2 minutes video of Disneyland. Fear of dental injections was assessed on a 10 cm visual analogue scale before and after the intervention. In the experimental group there was a significant fear reduction from pre- to post-intervention, while this was not the case in the control group. Children with higher pre-existing levels of fear benefited more from the intervention than children with lower levels of fear. The results of this pilot study suggest that intervention packages that impact child control have promise in lowering anxiety.

  18. Effect of Salinity on Germination and Its Relationship with Vegetative growth in Bromus danthoniae Genotypes from Saline and Non-Saline Areas of Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Rezaei

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Bromus danthoniae Trin. is an annual grass species that is well adapted to harsh climates and could be considered as an important genetic resources for tolerance to environmental stresses such as salinity. In this study, 24 genotypes collected from Ilam, Kurdistan, Kermanshah (non-saline areas and West Azerbaijan (saline area: shores of Uremia Salt Lake provinces of Iran were investigated at the germination stage under salt treatments with concentrations of 0, 60, 120, 180, 240 and 300 mM sodium chloride. Germination percentage, germination rate index, seed vigor, root length, shoot length and seedling fresh and dry weights were measured. In addition, the relationship between the percentage of germination in 300 mM sodium chloride and the survival rate (% after four weeks in 350 mM sodium chloride at the vegetative stage was evaluated. The results of analysis of variance showed that salinity treatments caused significant reductions in all the studied traits. Genotypic variation and the interaction of genotype × salt treatments were also significant. Genotypes USLN3 and KER4 were found to be the most tolerant and sensitive genotypes to salinity stress, with 13% and 98% reduction in germination percentage at 300 mM NaCl, respectively. Cluster analysis divided the genotypes into three groups, with one group containing only tolerant genotypes from Uremia Salt Lake, another one comprising only sensitive genotypes from non-saline regions, and the third one containing genotypes from both regions. The correlation between the germination percentage and the survival rate at the vegetative stage was not significant, indicating that different mechanisms are, perhaps, responsible for salinity tolerance at the germination and vegetative stages in B. danthoniae.

  19. CO{sub 2} storage in saline aquifers; Stockage du CO{sub 2} dans les aquiferes salins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bentham, M.; Kirby, G. [British Geological Survey (BGS), Kingsley Dunham Centre, Keyworth, Nottingham (United Kingdom)

    2005-06-01

    Saline aquifers represent a promising way for CO{sub 2} sequestration. Storage capacities of saline aquifers are very important around the world. The Sleipner site in the North Sea is currently the single case world-wide of CO{sub 2} storage in a saline aquifer. A general review is given on the specific risks for CO{sub 2} storage in saline aquifer. The regional distribution of CO{sub 2} storage potential is presented. Finally, the knowledge gaps and the future research in this field are defined. (authors)

  20. Salinity reduction benefits European eel larvae: Insights at the morphological and molecular level

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Politis, Sebastian Nikitas; Mazurais, David; Servili, Arianna

    2018-01-01

    . Moreover, larvae were able to keep energy metabolism related gene expression (atp6, cox1) at stable levels, irrespective of the salinity reduction. As such, when reducing salinity, an energy surplus associated to reduced osmoregulation demands and stress (lower nkcc, aqp and hsp expression), likely......European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a euryhaline species, that has adapted to cope with both, hyper- and hypo-osmotic environments. This study investigates the effect of salinity, from a morphological and molecular point of view on European eel larvae reared from 0 to 12 days post hatch (dph......). Offspring reared in 36 practical salinity units (psu; control), were compared with larvae reared in six scenarios, where salinity was decreased on 0 or 3 dph and in rates of 1, 2 or 4 psu/day, towards iso-osmotic conditions. Results showed that several genes relating to osmoregulation (nkcc2α, nkcc2β, aqp1...

  1. Salinity drives archaeal distribution patterns in high altitude lake sediments on the Tibetan Plateau.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yongqin; Priscu, John C; Xiong, Jinbo; Conrad, Ralf; Vick-Majors, Trista; Chu, Haiyan; Hou, Juzhi

    2016-03-01

    Archaeal communities and the factors regulating their diversity in high altitude lakes are poorly understood. Here, we provide the first high-throughput sequencing study of Archaea from Tibetan Plateau lake sediments. We analyzed twenty lake sediments from the world's highest and largest plateau and found diverse archaeal assemblages that clustered into groups dominated by methanogenic Euryarchaeota, Crenarchaeota and Halobacteria/mixed euryarchaeal phylotypes. Statistical analysis inferred that salinity was the major driver of community composition, and that archaeal diversity increased with salinity. Sediments with the highest salinities were mostly dominated by Halobacteria. Crenarchaeota dominated at intermediate salinities, and methanogens were present in all lake sediments, albeit most abundant at low salinities. The distribution patterns of the three functional types of methanogens (hydrogenotrophic, acetotrophic and methylotrophic) were also related to changes in salinity. Our results show that salinity is a key factor controlling archaeal community diversity and composition in lake sediments on a spatial scale that spans nearly 2000 km on the Tibetan Plateau. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  2. ABA, GA(3), and nitrate may control seed germination of Crithmum maritimum (Apiaceae) under saline conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atia, Abdallah; Debez, Ahmed; Barhoumi, Zouhaier; Smaoui, Abderrazak; Abdelly, Chedly

    2009-08-01

    Impaired germination is common among halophyte seeds exposed to salt stress, partly resulting from the salt-induced reduction of the growth regulator contents in seeds. Thus, the understanding of hormonal regulation during the germination process is a main key: (i) to overcome the mechanisms by which NaCl-salinity inhibit germination; and (ii) to improve the germination of these species when challenged with NaCl. In the present investigation, the effects of ABA, GA(3), NO(-)(3), and NH(+)(4) on the germination of the oilseed halophyte Crithmum maritimum (Apiaceae) were assessed under NaCl-salinity (up to 200 mM NaCl). Seeds were collected from Tabarka rocky coasts (N-W of Tunisia). The exogenous application of GA(3), nitrate (either as NaNO(3) or KNO(3)), and NH(4)Cl enhanced germination under NaCl salinity. The beneficial impact of KNO(3) on germination upon seed exposure to NaCl salinity was rather due to NO(-)(3) than to K(+), since KCl failed to significantly stimulate germination. Under optimal conditions for germination (0 mM NaCl), ABA inhibited germination over time in a dose dependent manner, but KNO(3) completely restored the germination parameters. Under NaCl salinity, the application of fluridone (FLU) an inhibitor of ABA biosynthesis, stimulated substantially seed germination. Taken together, our results point out that NO(-)(3) and GA(3) mitigate the NaCl-induced reduction of seed germination, and that NO(-)(3) counteracts the inhibitory effect of ABA on germination of C. maritimum.

  3. Lumbar Intradiskal Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections: A Prospective, Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuakli-Wosornu, Yetsa A; Terry, Alon; Boachie-Adjei, Kwadwo; Harrison, Julian R; Gribbin, Caitlin K; LaSalle, Elizabeth E; Nguyen, Joseph T; Solomon, Jennifer L; Lutz, Gregory E

    2016-01-01

    To determine whether single injections of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) into symptomatic degenerative intervertebral disks will improve participant-reported pain and function. Prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled study. Outpatient physiatric spine practice. Adults with chronic (≥6 months), moderate-to-severe lumbar diskogenic pain that was unresponsive to conservative treatment. Participants were randomized to receive intradiskal PRP or contrast agent after provocative diskography. Data on pain, physical function, and participant satisfaction were collected at 1 week, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year. Participants in the control group who did not improve at 8 weeks were offered the option to receive PRP and subsequently followed. Functional Rating Index (FRI), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for pain, the pain and physical function domains of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey, and the modified North American Spine Society (NASS) Outcome Questionnaire were used. Forty-seven participants (29 in the treatment group, 18 in the control group) were analyzed by an independent observer with a 92% follow-up rate. Over 8 weeks of follow-up, there were statistically significant improvements in participants who received intradiskal PRP with regards to pain (NRS Best Pain) (P = .02), function (FRI) (P = .03), and patient satisfaction (NASS Outcome Questionnaire) (P = .01) compared with controls. No adverse events of disk space infection, neurologic injury, or progressive herniation were reported following the injection of PRP. Participants who received intradiskal PRP showed significant improvements in FRI, NRS Best Pain, and NASS patient satisfaction scores over 8 weeks compared with controls. Those who received PRP maintained significant improvements in FRI scores through at least 1 year of follow-up. Although these results are promising, further studies are needed to define the subset of participants most likely to respond to biologic intradiskal

  4. Numerical Investigation into the Impact of CO2-Water-Rock Interactions on CO2 Injectivity at the Shenhua CCS Demonstration Project, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guodong Yang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available A 100,000 t/year demonstration project for carbon dioxide (CO2 capture and storage in the deep saline formations of the Ordos Basin, China, has been successfully completed. Field observations suggested that the injectivity increased nearly tenfold after CO2 injection commenced without substantial pressure build-up. In order to evaluate whether this unique phenomenon could be attributed to geochemical changes, reactive transport modeling was conducted to investigate CO2-water-rock interactions and changes in porosity and permeability induced by CO2 injection. The results indicated that using porosity-permeability relationships that include tortuosity, grain size, and percolation porosity, other than typical Kozeny-Carman porosity-permeability relationship, it is possible to explain the considerable injectivity increase as a consequence of mineral dissolution. These models might be justified in terms of selective dissolution along flow paths and by dissolution or migration of plugging fines. In terms of geochemical changes, dolomite dissolution is the largest source of porosity increase. Formation physical properties such as temperature, pressure, and brine salinity were found to have modest effects on mineral dissolution and precipitation. Results from this study could have practical implications for a successful CO2 injection and enhanced oil/gas/geothermal production in low-permeability formations, potentially providing a new basis for screening of storage sites and reservoirs.

  5. A global algorithm for estimating Absolute Salinity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. J. McDougall

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The International Thermodynamic Equation of Seawater – 2010 has defined the thermodynamic properties of seawater in terms of a new salinity variable, Absolute Salinity, which takes into account the spatial variation of the composition of seawater. Absolute Salinity more accurately reflects the effects of the dissolved material in seawater on the thermodynamic properties (particularly density than does Practical Salinity.

    When a seawater sample has standard composition (i.e. the ratios of the constituents of sea salt are the same as those of surface water of the North Atlantic, Practical Salinity can be used to accurately evaluate the thermodynamic properties of seawater. When seawater is not of standard composition, Practical Salinity alone is not sufficient and the Absolute Salinity Anomaly needs to be estimated; this anomaly is as large as 0.025 g kg−1 in the northernmost North Pacific. Here we provide an algorithm for estimating Absolute Salinity Anomaly for any location (x, y, p in the world ocean.

    To develop this algorithm, we used the Absolute Salinity Anomaly that is found by comparing the density calculated from Practical Salinity to the density measured in the laboratory. These estimates of Absolute Salinity Anomaly however are limited to the number of available observations (namely 811. In order to provide a practical method that can be used at any location in the world ocean, we take advantage of approximate relationships between Absolute Salinity Anomaly and silicate concentrations (which are available globally.

  6. Salinity in Drinking Water and the Risk of (Pre)Eclampsia and Gestational Hypertension in Coastal Bangladesh: A Case-Control Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Aneire Ehmar; Scheelbeek, Pauline Franka Denise; Shilpi, Asma Begum; Chan, Queenie; Mojumder, Sontosh Kumar; Rahman, Atiq; Haines, Andy; Vineis, Paolo

    2014-01-01

    Background Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are among the leading causes of maternal and perinatal death in low-income countries, but the aetiology remains unclear. We investigated the relationship between salinity in drinking water and the risk of (pre)eclampsia and gestational hypertension in a coastal community. Methods A population-based case-control study was conducted in Dacope, Bangladesh among 202 pregnant women with (pre)eclampsia or gestational hypertension, enrolled from the community served by the Upazilla Health Complex, Dacope and 1,006 matched controls from the same area. Epidemiological and clinical data were obtained from all participants. Urinary sodium and sodium levels in drinking water were measured. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios, and 95% confidence intervals. Findings Drinking water sources had exceptionally high sodium levels (mean 516.6 mg/L, S.D 524.2). Women consuming tube-well (groundwater) were at a higher disease risk than rainwater users (psodium concentrations (300.01–600 mg/L, 600.1–900 mg/L, >900.01 mg/L, compared to <300 mg/L) in drinking water (ORs 3.30 [95% CI 2.00–5.51], 4.40 [2.70–7.25] and 5.48 [3.30–9.11] (p-trend<0.001). Significant associations were seen for both (pre)eclampsia and gestational hypertension separately. Interpretation Salinity in drinking water is associated with increased risk of (pre)eclampsia and gestational hypertension in this population. Given that coastal populations in countries such as Bangladesh are confronted with high salinity exposure, which is predicted to further increase as a result of sea level rise and other environmental influences, it is imperative to develop and evaluate affordable approaches to providing water with low salt content. PMID:25268785

  7. 99mTc-MDP combined blood pool and bone phase radionuclide imaging in papain-injected carpal joints

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Metcalf, M.R.; Twardock, A.R.; Sanecki, R.K.

    1985-01-01

    Scintigraphic changes, i.e., increased activity, were induced by 1% papain, dissolved in phosphate-buffered physiologic saline (pH 7.4), injected into one antebrachiocarpal joint in each of eight dogs. Scintigraphic evaluation was by the use of combined blood pool and bone phase scintigraphy of affected and normal carpi over a 28-day period. The qualitative and quantitative scintigraphic appearance in injected carpal joints were very similar in both blood pool and bone phases. The clinical use of combined blood pool and bone phase scintigraphy to diagnose early inflammatory joint changes appears limited

  8. Multiobjective Design of Turbo Injection Mode for Axial Flux Motor in Plastic Injection Molding Machine by Particle Swarm Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian-Long Kuo

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a turbo injection mode (TIM for an axial flux motor to apply onto injection molding machine. Since the injection molding machine requires different speed and force parameters setting when finishing a complete injection process. The interleaved winding structure in the motor provides two different injection levels to provide enough injection forces. Two wye-wye windings are designed to switch two control modes conveniently. Wye-wye configuration is used to switch two force levels for the motor. When only one set of wye-winding is energized, field weakening function is achieved. Both of the torque and speed increase under field weakening operation. To achieve two control objectives for torque and speed of the motor, fuzzy based multiple performance characteristics index (MPCI with particle swarm optimization (PSO is used to find out the multiobjective optimal design solution. Both of the torque and speed are expected to be maximal at the same time. Three control factors are selected as studied factors: winding diameter, winding type, and air-gap. Experimental results show that both of the torque and speed increase under the optimal condition. This will provide enough large torque and speed to perform the turbo injection mode in injection process for the injection molding machine.

  9. Evolution of the electrical resistivity anisotropy during saline tracer tests: insights from geoelectrical milli-fluidic experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jougnot, D.; Jimenez-Martinez, J.; Legendre, R.; Le Borgne, T.; Meheust, Y.; Linde, N.

    2017-12-01

    The use of time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography has been largely developed in environmental studies to remotely monitor water saturation and contaminant plumes migration. However, subsurface heterogeneities, and corresponding preferential transport paths, yield a potentially large anisotropy in the electrical properties of the subsurface. In order to study this effect, we have used a newly developed geoelectrical milli-fluidic experimental set-up with a flow cell that contains a 2D porous medium consisting of a single layer of cylindrical solid grains. We performed saline tracer tests under full and partial water saturations in that cell by jointly injecting air and aqueous solutions with different salinities. The flow cell is equipped with four electrodes to measure the bulk electrical resistivity at the cell's scale. The spatial distribution of the water/air phases and the saline solute concentration field in the water phase are captured simultaneously with a high-resolution camera by combining a fluorescent tracer with the saline solute. These data are used to compute the longitudinal and transverse effective electrical resistivity numerically from the measured spatial distributions of the fluid phases and the salinity field. This approach is validated as the computed longitudinal effective resistivities are in good agreement with the laboratory measurements. The anisotropy in electrical resistivity is then inferred from the computed longitudinal and transverse effective resistivities. We find that the spatial distribution of saline tracer, and potentially air phase, drive temporal changes in the effective resistivity through preferential paths or barriers for electrical current at the pore scale. The resulting heterogeneities in the solute concentrations lead to strong anisotropy of the effective bulk electrical resistivity, especially for partially saturated conditions. Therefore, considering the electrical resistivity as a tensor could improve our

  10. Evaluation of the Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Oxytetracycline and Its Control Effect Against Citrus Huanglongbing via Trunk Injection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Jiahuai; Wang, Nian

    2016-12-01

    Citrus huanglongbing (HLB) or greening is a devastating bacterial disease that has destroyed millions of trees and is associated with phloem-residing 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' (Las) in Florida. In this study, we evaluated the spatiotemporal dynamics of oxytetracycline in planta and its control effect against HLB via trunk injection. Las-infected 'Hamlin' sweet orange trees on 'Swingle' citrumelo rootstock at the early stage of decline were treated with oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC) using trunk injection with varying number of injection ports. Spatiotemporal distribution of OTC and dynamics of Las populations were monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography method and qPCR assay, respectively. Uniform distribution of OTC throughout tree canopies and root system was achieved 2 days postinjection. High levels of OTC (>850 µg/kg) were maintained in leaf and root for at least 1 month and moderate OTC (>500 µg/kg) persisted for more than 9 months. Reduction of Las populations in root system and leaves of OTC-treated trees were over 95% and 99% (i.e., 1.76 and 2.19 log reduction) between 2 and 28 days postinjection. Conditions of trees receiving OTC treatment were improved, fruit yield was increased, and juice acidity was lowered than water-injected control even though their differences were not statistically significant during the test period. Our study demonstrated that trunk injection of OTC could be used as an effective measure for integrated management of citrus HLB.

  11. Novel animal model for Achilles tendinopathy: Controlled experimental study of serial injections of collagenase in rabbits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Cesar Netto, Cesar; Godoy-Santos, Alexandre Leme; Augusto Pontin, Pedro; Natalino, Renato Jose Mendonça; Pereira, Cesar Augusto Martins; Lima, Francisco Diego de Oliveira; da Fonseca, Lucas Furtado; Staggers, Jackson Rucker; Cavinatto, Leonardo Muntada; Schon, Lew Charles; de Camargo, Olavo Pires; Fernandes, Túlio Diniz

    2018-01-01

    Our goal was to develop a novel technique for inducing Achilles tendinopathy in animal models which more accurately represents the progressive histological and biomechanical characteristic of chronic Achilles tendinopathy in humans. In this animal research study, forty-five rabbits were randomly assigned to three groups and given bilateral Achilles injections. Low dose (LD group) (n = 18) underwent a novel technique with three low-dose (0.1mg) injections of collagenase that were separated by two weeks, the high dose group (HD) (n = 18) underwent traditional single high-dose (0.3mg) injections, and the third group were controls (n = 9). Six rabbits were sacrificed from each experimental group (LD and HD) at 10, 12 and 16 weeks. Control animals were sacrificed after 16 weeks. Histological and biomechanical properties were then compared in all three groups. At 10 weeks, Bonar score and tendon cross sectional area was highest in HD group, with impaired biomechanical properties compared to LD group. At 12 weeks, Bonar score was higher in LD group, with similar biomechanical findings when compared to HD group. After 16 weeks, Bonar score was significantly increased for both LD group (11,8±2,28) and HD group (5,6±2,51), when compared to controls (2±0,76). LD group showed more pronounced histological and biomechanical findings, including cross sectional area of the tendon, Young's modulus, yield stress and ultimate tensile strength. In conclusion, Achilles tendinopathy in animal models that were induced by serial injections of low-dose collagenase showed more pronounced histological and biomechanical findings after 16 weeks than traditional techniques, mimicking better the progressive and chronic characteristic of the tendinopathy in humans.

  12. Salinity reduces 2,4-D efficacy in Echinochloa crusgalli by affecting redox balance, nutrient acquisition, and hormonal regulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Islam, Faisal; Xie, Yuan; Farooq, Muhammad A; Wang, Jian; Yang, Chong; Gill, Rafaqat A; Zhu, Jinwen; Zhou, Weijun

    2018-05-01

    Distinct salinity levels have been reported to enhance plants tolerance to different types of stresses. The aim of this research is to assess the interaction of saline stress and the use of 2,4-D as a means of controlling the growth of Echinochloa crusgalli. The resultant effect of such interaction is vital for a sustainable approach of weed management and food production. The results showed that 2,4-D alone treatment reduces the chlorophyll contents, photosynthetic capacity, enhanced MDA, electrolyte leakage, and ROS production (H 2 O 2 , O 2 ·- ) and inhibited the activities of ROS scavenging enzymes. Further analysis of the ultrastructure of chloroplasts indicated that 2,4-D induced severe damage to the ultrastructure of chloroplasts and thylakoids. Severe saline stress (8 dS m -1 ) followed by mild saline stress treatments (4 dS m -1 ) also reduced the E. crusgalli growth, but had the least impact as compared to the 2,4-D alone treatment. Surprisingly, under combined treatments (salinity + 2,4-D), the phytotoxic effect of 2,4-D was reduced on saline-stressed E. crusgalli plants, especially under mild saline + 2,4-D treatment. This stimulated growth of E. crusgalli is related to the higher activities of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants and dynamic regulation of IAA, ABA under mild saline + 2,4-D treatment. This shows that 2,4-D efficacy was affected by salinity in a stress intensity-dependent manner, which may result in the need for greater herbicide application rates, additional application times, or more weed control operations required for controlling salt-affected weed.

  13. Infiltration with lidocaine and adrenaline instead of normal saline does not improve the septoplasty procedure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gungor, Volkan; Baklaci, Deniz; Kum, Rauf Oguzhan; Yilmaz, Yavuz Fuat; Ozcan, Muge; Unal, Adnan

    2016-08-01

    The aim of this study was to determine whether infiltration of local anesthetics with adrenaline improved septoplasty procedure when compared to normal saline. Eight-two patients undergoing septoplasty were randomized into two groups. In group 1, septal mucoperichondrium was infiltrated with lidocaine with adrenaline, and normal saline was used in group 2. Presence of intra-operative septal mucosal injuries, the amount of bleeding, arterial blood pressure, operation time as well as the quality of the surgical field and the convenience of finding the correct surgical plane as determined by the surgeon using a 5-point scale were compared between two groups. There were no significant differences for the amount of blood loss, mean arterial pressure, operation time, or scores for convenience of finding the correct surgical plane between the two groups. There was no significant difference for intra-operative simple (P = 0.631) and total (simple+severe) (P = 0.649) septal mucoperichondrial injuries between groups 1 and 2, either. However, severe mucoperichondrial injury rate was higher in the patients infiltrated with lidocaine and adrenaline (P = 0.026), and the quality of the surgical field was worse in the patients injected with normal saline (P = 0.0179). Infiltration of septal mucoperichondrium with lidocaine and adrenaline instead of normal saline was not advantageous in terms of objective parameters tested, including bleeding amount and duration of surgery as well as the of the total mucosal injury rate in septoplasty procedure.

  14. Mulching for sustainable use of saline water to grow tomato in sultanate of oman

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wahaibi, N.S.A.; Hussain, N.; Rawah, A.A.

    2007-01-01

    Tomato is grown in 991 hectares with production of 44477 tons in the sultanate of Oman. It is very important vegetable crop of Oman oat present being an integral part of daily diet of the people in various from like salad. Ketchup and kitchen cooking. Oman agriculture relies upon groundwater only, a major portion of which is saline that may concentrate further with the ever increasing pumping and probable seawater intrusions. Hence, the use of saline water is inevitable that can ultimately salinized the good productive soils. The production potential of these soils will gradually decrease and sustainability cannot be kept. This study was conducted to manage the saline water for avoiding bad effect on crop yields and soil health. A field experiment was conducted on tomato (Ginan variety) crop. Two mulching materials: organic matter (from date palm residues) and black plastic sheet, were tested in comparison to control (without any mulch). Two saline waters (EC=3 and 6 dSm/sup -1/) were used for irrigation. Uniform dose of fertilizers was applied. Four pickings of tomato were obtained and yield data were recorded EC moisture % age and temperature of soils were recorded after harvesting of crops. It was observed that data palm mulch proved as the most superior in terms of tomato fruit yield and control of increase in soil EC and temperature. It was followed by black plastic mulch. Both types of mulches indicated significant differences over control as well as among each other. (author)

  15. Enhanced upregulation of CRH mRNA expression in the nucleus accumbens of male rats after a second injection of methamphetamine given thirty days later.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean Lud Cadet

    Full Text Available Methamphetamine (METH is a widely abused amphetamine analog. Few studies have investigated the molecular effects of METH exposure in adult animals. Herein, we determined the consequences of an injection of METH (10 mg/kg on transcriptional effects of a second METH (2.5 mg/kg injection given one month later. We thus measured gene expression by microarray analyses in the nucleus accumbens (NAc of 4 groups of rats euthanized 2 hours after the second injection: saline-pretreated followed by saline-challenged (SS or METH-challenged (SM; and METH-pretreated followed by saline-challenged (MS or METH-challenged (MM. Microarray analyses revealed that METH (2.5 mg/kg produced acute changes (1.8-fold; P<0.01 in the expression of 412 (352 upregulated, 60 down-regulated transcripts including cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript, corticotropin-releasing hormone (Crh, oxytocin (Oxt, and vasopressin (Avp that were upregulated. Injection of METH (10 mg/kg altered the expression of 503 (338 upregulated, 165 down-regulated transcripts measured one month later (MS group. These genes also included Cart and Crh. The MM group showed altered expression of 766 (565 upregulated, 201 down-regulated transcripts including Avp, Cart, and Crh. The METH-induced increased Crh expression was enhanced in the MM group in comparison to SM and MS groups. Quantitative PCR confirmed the METH-induced changes in mRNA levels. Therefore, a single injection of METH produced long-lasting changes in gene expression in the rodent NAc. The long-term increases in Crh, Cart, and Avp mRNA expression suggest that METH exposure produced prolonged activation of the endogenous stress system. The METH-induced changes in oxytocin expression also suggest the possibility that this neuropeptide might play a significant role in the neuroplastic and affiliative effects of this drug.

  16. Salinity-induced changes in the morphology and major mineral nutrient composition of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) accessions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alam, Md Amirul; Juraimi, Abdul Shukor; Rafii, M Y; Hamid, Azizah Abdul; Aslani, Farzad; Hakim, M A

    2016-04-18

    This study was undertaken to determine the effects of varied salinity regimes on the morphological traits (plant height, number of leaves, number of flowers, fresh and dry weight) and major mineral composition of 13 selected purslane accessions. Most of the morphological traits measured were reduced at varied salinity levels (0.0, 8, 16, 24 and 32 dS m(-1)), but plant height was found to increase in Ac1 at 16 dS m(-1) salinity, and Ac13 was the most affected accession. The highest reductions in the number of leaves and number of flowers were recorded in Ac13 at 32 dS m(-1) salinity compared to the control. The highest fresh and dry weight reductions were noted in Ac8 and Ac6, respectively, at 32 dS m(-1) salinity, whereas the highest increase in both fresh and dry weight was recorded in Ac9 at 24 dS m(-1) salinity compared to the control. In contrast, at lower salinity levels, all of the measured mineral levels were found to increase and later decrease with increasing salinity, but the performance of different accessions was different depending on the salinity level. A dendrogram was also constructed by UPGMA based on the morphological traits and mineral compositions, in which the 13 accessions were grouped into 5 clusters, indicating greater diversity among them. A three-dimensional principal component analysis also confirmed the output of grouping from cluster analysis.

  17. Salinity Effects on Photosynthesis, Carbon Allocation, and Nitrogen Assimilation in the Red Alga, Gelidium coulteri.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macler, B A

    1988-11-01

    The long-term effects of altered salinities on the physiology of the intertidal red alga Gelidium coulteri Harv. were assessed. Plants were transfered from 30 grams per liter salinity to media with salinities from 0 to 50 grams per liter. Growth rate, agar, photosynthesis, respiration, and various metabolites were quantified after 5 days and 5 weeks adaptation. After 5 days, growth rates were lower for plants at all altered salinities. Growth rates recovered from these values with 5 weeks adaptation, except for salinities of 10 grams per liter and below, where tissues bleached and died. Photosynthetic O(2) evolution was lower than control values at both higher and lower salinities after 5 days and did not change over time. Carbon fixation at the altered salinities was unchanged after 5 days, but decreased below 25 grams per liter and above 40 grams per liter after 5 weeks. Respiration increased at lower salinities. Phycobili-protein and chlorophyll were lower for all altered salinities after 5 days. These decreases continued at lower salinities, then were stable after 5 weeks. Chlorophyll recovered over time at higher salinities. Decreases in protein at lower salinities were quantitatively attributable to phycobili-protein loss. Total N levels and C:N ratios were nearly constant across all salinities tested. Carbon flow into glutamate and aspartate decreased with both decreasing and increasing salinities. Glycine, serine, and glycolate levels increased with both increasing and decreasing salinity, indicating a stimulation of photorespiration. The cell wall component agar increased with decreasing salinity, although biosynthesis was inhibited at both higher and lower salinities. The storage compound floridoside increased with increasing salinity. The evidence suggests stress responses to altered salinities that directly affected photosynthesis, respiration, and nitrogen assimilation and indirectly affected photosynthate flow. At low salinities, respiration and

  18. Class I Underground Injection Control Program: Study of the Risks Associated with Class I Underground Injection Wells

    Science.gov (United States)

    The document provides describes the current Class I UIC program, the history of Class I injection, and studies of human health risks associated with Class I injection wells, which were conducted for past regulatory efforts and policy documentation.

  19. Intramuscular diclofenac vs periprostatic lidocaine injection for controlling pain undergoing transrectal ultrasound guided prostatic biopsy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alam, S.I.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) technique for getting prostatic tissue for histopathology is now the standard procedure for malignant lesions of the prostate and imperative diagnostic investigation of patients with clinical specks of prostatic neoplasia. During TRUS guided biopsy, pain control has been important issue therefore, highly potent analgesia before this procedure should be considered on high priority according to current census. Therefore, we compared intramuscular diclofenac injection with sensory blockade of injection lidocaine to abolish pain undergoing prostatic biopsy with TRUS technique. Methods: Total 200 patients were selected for this study having raised PSA values and suspicious nodule on Digital Rectal Examination. These patients were segregated into two groups by randomization. Group Ar eceived intramuscular diclofenac and group Bw ere infiltrated with lidocaine injection for sensory blockade. Results: Patients in group A was having mean age of 64.5±5.8 years while for group B patients was 65.6±4.9 years (p=0.16). Both groups have statistically insignificant difference in their mean PSA values (p=0.24) and mean prostatic volume (p=0.22). The mean pain scores on visual analogue scale in groups A was 3.5±0.8 and in group B it was 2.4±0.8 (p<0.001). 60% group A patients reported with mild or no pain compared to 90% in group B. (p<0.001). Conclusion: Local blockade with lidocaine injection has better pain control as compared to patients experienced pain with intramuscular diclofenac used for prostatic biopsy through TRUS technique.

  20. Millennial changes of the Baltic Sea salinity. Studies of the sensitivity of the salinity to climate change

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gustafsson, Bo G.

    2004-05-01

    An important question for safety assessments of nuclear waste repositories is the salinity of the Baltic Sea under different conditions. The salinity affects the potential recipient ecosystems, the water turnover along the coast and the hydrology as well as the groundwater chemistry. In this report a model that enables computation of the Baltic Sea salinity for different sea level positions and freshwater supplies is presented. The model is used to compute the salinities in Baltic proper, Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay for all combinations of global sea level changes from -10 m to 10 m and freshwater supplies from 0 to 60,000 m 3 /s. The results are presented in a series of graphs that enables the reader to make an assessment of the impact of a given climatic change. The model is also used to compute the decrease of the salinity in Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay during the next few millennia due to the postglacial uplift. The results show that modest changes in global sea level, say ±1 m, give a salinity change of the order of 1 psu in southern Baltic proper. Changing the freshwater supply with about 2,000 m 3 /s (approximately 10%) gives a similar salinity change. Further, a sea level drop of about 5 m or an increase of the freshwater supply by a factor of 3 is needed to reduce the salinity in southern Baltic proper below 1 psu. In this limit large parts of the Baltic would be limnic. A 50% decrease of the freshwater supply increase the salinity in the southern Baltic proper by a factor of 2 to some 15 psu, but the effect is even more drastic in Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay where the salinity increase to 13 and 10 psu, respectively. A less windy climate might have a significant effect in lowering the Baltic salinity due to a combined effect of lowered mixing in Kattegat and lowered exchange between Kattegat and the Baltic. A windier climate will not have such strong effect since increased mixing does not affect the Baltic as much. Most probably the shoreline

  1. Millennial changes of the Baltic Sea salinity. Studies of the sensitivity of the salinity to climate change

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gustafsson, Bo G. [Oceanus Havsundersoekningar, Goeteborg (Sweden)

    2004-05-01

    An important question for safety assessments of nuclear waste repositories is the salinity of the Baltic Sea under different conditions. The salinity affects the potential recipient ecosystems, the water turnover along the coast and the hydrology as well as the groundwater chemistry. In this report a model that enables computation of the Baltic Sea salinity for different sea level positions and freshwater supplies is presented. The model is used to compute the salinities in Baltic proper, Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay for all combinations of global sea level changes from -10 m to 10 m and freshwater supplies from 0 to 60,000 m{sup 3}/s. The results are presented in a series of graphs that enables the reader to make an assessment of the impact of a given climatic change. The model is also used to compute the decrease of the salinity in Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay during the next few millennia due to the postglacial uplift. The results show that modest changes in global sea level, say {+-}1 m, give a salinity change of the order of 1 psu in southern Baltic proper. Changing the freshwater supply with about 2,000 m{sup 3}/s (approximately 10%) gives a similar salinity change. Further, a sea level drop of about 5 m or an increase of the freshwater supply by a factor of 3 is needed to reduce the salinity in southern Baltic proper below 1 psu. In this limit large parts of the Baltic would be limnic. A 50% decrease of the freshwater supply increase the salinity in the southern Baltic proper by a factor of 2 to some 15 psu, but the effect is even more drastic in Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay where the salinity increase to 13 and 10 psu, respectively. A less windy climate might have a significant effect in lowering the Baltic salinity due to a combined effect of lowered mixing in Kattegat and lowered exchange between Kattegat and the Baltic. A windier climate will not have such strong effect since increased mixing does not affect the Baltic as much. Most probably the

  2. Jerusalem artichoke decreased salt content and increased diversity of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere soil in the coastal saline zone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shao, Tianyun; Li, Niu; Cheng, Yongwen; Long, Xiaohua; Shao, Hongbo; Zed, Rengel

    2017-04-01

    Soil salinity is one of the main environmental constraints that restrict plant growth and agricultural productivity; however, utilization of salt-affected land can bring substantial benefits. This study used an in-situ remediation method by planting Jerusalem artichoke in naturally occurring saline alkali soils with different salinity (high salinity (H, >4.0 g•salt kg-1 soil), moderate salinity (M, 2.0-4.0 g•salt kg-1 soil) and low salinity (L, 1.0-2.0 g•salt kg-1 soil) in the coastal saline zone in southeast China in comparison with the respective controls without Jerusalem artichoke planting (undisturbed soil). Soil pH and salinity increased sequentially from the rhizosphere to the bulk soil and the unplanted controls. The activity of neutral phosphatase and invertase decreased in the order L > M > H, whereas that of catalase was reverse. The minimum content of calcite, muscovite and quartz, and maximum content of chlorite and albite, were found in the control soils. Planting of Jerusalem artichoke enhanced bacterial microflora in saline alkali soil. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla in all samples, accounting for more than 80% of the reads. The number of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTU) in the rhizosphere soil was, respectively, 1.27, 1.02 and 1.25 times higher compared with the bulk soil, suggesting that Jerusalem artichoke played a significant role in increasing abundance and diversity of soil microbial populations. The study showed that Jerusalem artichoke could be used to improve saline alkali soil by enriching bacterial communities, enhancing the activity of phosphatase and invertase, and decreasing soil salinity.

  3. Saline water irrigation for crop production

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khan, A R [Directorate of Water Management Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Walmi Complex, P.O. - Phulwari Sharif, Patna (India); [Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste (Italy); Singh, S S; Singh, S R [Directorate of Water Management Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Walmi Complex, P.O. - Phulwari Sharif, Patna (India)

    2001-05-01

    Salinity is one of agriculture's most complex production problems. Excessive salts from irrigation water or high water tables can severely limit crop production. Years of saline water irrigation on poorly drained soils can eventually make economic crop production impossible. About 10% of all land are affected by salinity problems. They occur in every continent in different proportions, more frequently in arid and semi-arid areas. This paper discusses a range of problems related to use of saline water for crop irrigation.

  4. Saline water irrigation for crop production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khan, A.R.; Singh, S.S.; Singh, S.R.

    2001-05-01

    Salinity is one of agriculture's most complex production problems. Excessive salts from irrigation water or high water tables can severely limit crop production. Years of saline water irrigation on poorly drained soils can eventually make economic crop production impossible. About 10% of all land are affected by salinity problems. They occur in every continent in different proportions, more frequently in arid and semi-arid areas. This paper discusses a range of problems related to use of saline water for crop irrigation

  5. Promoted new bone formation in maxillary distraction osteogenesis using a tissue-engineered osteogenic material.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinoshita, Kazuhiko; Hibi, Hideharu; Yamada, Yoichi; Ueda, Minoru

    2008-01-01

    Bilateral maxillary distraction was performed at a higher rate in rabbits to determine whether locally applied tissue-engineered osteogenic material (TEOM) enhances bone regeneration. The material was an injectable gel composed of autologous mesenchymal stem cells, which were cultured then induced to be osteogenic in character, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP). After a 5-day latency period, distraction devices were activated at a rate of 2.0 mm once daily for 4 days. Twelve rabbits were divided into 2 groups. At the end of distraction, the experimental group of rabbits received an injection of TEOM into the distracted tissue on one side, whereas, saline solution was injected into the distracted tissue on the contralateral side as the internal control. An additional control group received an injection of PRP or saline solution into the distracted tissue in the same way as the experimental group. The distraction regenerates were assessed by radiological and histomorphometric analyses. The radiodensity of the distraction gap injected with TEOM was significantly higher than that injected with PRP or saline solution at 2, 3, and 4 weeks postdistraction. The histomorphometric analysis also showed that both new bone zone and bony content in the distraction gap injected with TEOM were significantly increased when compared with PRP or saline solution. Our results demonstrated that the distraction gap injected with TEOM showed significant new bone formation. Therefore, injections of TEOM may be able to compensate for insufficient distraction gaps.

  6. Growth responses of Phragmites karka - a candidate for second generation biofuel from degraded saline lands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaheer Ahmed, Muhammad; Shoukat, Erum; Abideen, Zainul; Aziz, Irfan; Gulzar, Salman; Ajmal Khan, M.

    2017-04-01

    Global changes like rapidly increasing population, limited fresh water resources, increasing salinity and aridity are the major causes of land degradation. Increasing feed production for bioenergy through direct and indirect land use cause major threat to biodiversity besides competing with food resources. Growing halophytes on saline lands would provide alternate source of energy without compromising food and cash crop farming. Phragmites karkahas recently emerged as a potential bio-fuel crop, which maintains optimal growth at 100 mM NaCl with high ligno-cellulosic biomass. However, temporal and organ specific plant responses under salinity needs to be understood for effective management of degraded saline lands. This study was designed to investigate variation in growth, water relations, ion-flux, damage markers, soluble sugars, stomatal stoichiometry and photosynthetic responses of P. karka to short (0-7 days) and long (15-30 days) term exposure with 0 (control), 100 (moderate) and 300 (high) mM NaCl. A reduced shoot growth ( 45%) during earlier (within 7 days) phase was observed in 300 mM NaCl compared to control and moderate salinity. Reduced leaf elongation rate and leaf senescence from 7th day in 300 mM NaCl (and later in moderate salinity) correspond to increasing hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde contents. Leaf turgor loss represents the osmotic effect of NaCl at both concentrations, however turgor recovered completely in moderate salinity within a week. Plant appeared to use both organic solutes (soluble sugars) and ions (Na++K++Cl-) for osmotic adjustment along with improved water use efficiency under saline conditions. Turgor loss in high salinity (300 mM NaCl) was related to increased bulk elastic modulus and decreased hydraulic capacitance which ultimately resulted in low water potential. Leaf Na+ and Cl- accumulation increased earlier (from 7th day) in 300 mM NaCl and later in 100 mM. Higher ion sequestration in different organs was found in the

  7. 40 CFR 230.25 - Salinity gradients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Salinity gradients. 230.25 Section 230.25 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING SECTION 404(b... Physical and Chemical Characteristics of the Aquatic Ecosystem § 230.25 Salinity gradients. (a) Salinity...

  8. TEST DESIGN FOR ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION (ETV) OF ADD-ON NOX CONTROL UTILIZING OZONE INJECTION

    Science.gov (United States)

    The paper discusses the test design for environmental technology verification (ETV) of add-0n nitrogen oxides (NOx) control utilizing ozone injection. (NOTE: ETV is an EPA-established program to enhance domestic and international market acceptance of new or improved commercially...

  9. Humoral immune response of mice injected with tocopherol after exposure to X-radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roy, R.M.; Petrella, M.

    1987-01-01

    Serum haemagglutination (HA) titers have been determined for irradiated and non-irradiated mice responding to injection of two different concentrations of sheep red blood cells (SRBC) 24 to 48 hours after irradiation and immediate intraperitoneal injection of 2.5 mg DL alpha-tocopherol, the emulsifying vehicle, or saline. Mice maintained on tocopherol-deficient diets for 8 weeks post-weaning and those on regular diets exhibited increased IgG titers during peak response when injected with vitamin E. This partially alleviated the radiation-depression of the primary immune response induced by the smaller SRBC injection. This stimulatory effect was most significant in mice maintained on vitamin E-deficient diets. The HA titers of irradiated and non-irradiated mice maintained on normal rations were determined following a 10-fold increase in the SRBC inoculation. Antibody titer was greater following injection of the higher concentration of SRBC but post-irradiation injection of tocopherol immediately or 24 hours after irradiation did not enhance immune response. At the higher SRBC concentration maximum observed HA titers decreased with increasing dose of radiation; however, tocopherol had no significant dose-reducing effect. Tocopherol toxicity as manifested by depressed HA titers was observed occasionally in non-irradiated mice challenged with the higher concentration of SRBC

  10. Effects of normal saline and selenium-enriched hot spring water on experimentally induced rhinosinusitis in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Dong-Hyun; Yeo, Sang Won

    2013-01-01

    This prospective, randomized, and controlled study examined the effects of normal saline and selenium-enriched hot spring water on experimentally induced rhinosinusitis in rats. The study comprised two control groups (untreated and saline-treated) and three experimental groups of Sprague Dawley rats. The experimental groups received an instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) only, LPS+normal saline (LPS/saline), or LPS+selenium-enriched hot spring water (LPS/selenium). Histopathological changes were identified using hematoxylin-eosin staining. Leakage of exudate was identified using fluorescence microscopy. Microvascular permeability was measured using the Evans blue dye technique. Expression of the Muc5ac gene was measured using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Mucosal edema and expression of the Muc5ac gene were significantly lower in the LPS/saline group than in the LPS group. Microvascular permeability, mucosal edema, and expression of the Muc5ac gene were significantly lower in the LPS/selenium group than in the LPS group. Mucosal edema was similar in the LPS/selenium group and LPS/saline group, but capillary permeability and Muc5ac expression were lower in the LPS/selenium group. This study shows that normal saline and selenium-enriched hot spring water reduce inflammatory activity and mucus hypersecretion in LPS-induced rhinosinusitis in rats. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Intravenous dexketoprofen induces less injection pain than racemic ketoprofen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sjövall, S; Kokki, M; Nokela, A; Halinen, L; Turunen, M; Kokki, H

    2015-08-01

    Ketoprofen has high analgesic efficacy against inflammatory and nociceptive pain. Additionally, when ketoprofen is administered in conjunction with an opioid during pain management, it prevents the development of opioid-induced hyperalgesia. The main limitation for racemic ketoprofen IV administration is venous irritation. Dexketoprofen is the active enantiomer of racemic ketoprofen and has a similar analgesic efficacy in a dose proportion of 1 : 2, but it causes fewer adverse effects than racemic ketoprofen. It has been claimed that dexketoprofen may cause less frequent and less severe injection pain than racemic ketoprofen. In this study, we compared the injection pain of IV administered racemic ketoprofen and dexketoprofen in elective surgical patients. The ethics committee of our institution approved this randomized, double-blinded, two-treatment, two-period, crossover clinical comparison of ketoprofen and dexketoprofen. A total of 221 ASA I-III adult patients, aged 20-75 years, were initially IV administered either 0·5 mg/kg racemic ketoprofen followed 2 h later with 0·25 mg/kg dexketoprofen (group 1) or vice versa (group 2). Both compounds were diluted in 20 mL of normal saline and were injected over 6 min. Patients reported injection pain on an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS) (0 = no pain, 10 = most pain). Significantly less injection pain was reported after dexketoprofen administration. A total of 201 of 209 patients reported pain during racemic ketoprofen injection, and 157 of 210 patients reported pain during dexketoprofen injection, respectively. Moderate or severe pain was reported by 90 (41%) patients during racemic ketoprofen administration and by 43 (20%) during dexketoprofen injection (P = 0·001). The mean of injection pain during racemic ketoprofen injection was 4·2 (SD 2·5) and was 2·5 (2·4) during dexketoprofen injection (P = 0·001). No serious or unexpected adverse events were reported. Dexketoprofen causes

  12. [Effect of bee venom injection on TrkA and TRPV1 expression in the dorsal root ganglion of rats with collagen-induced arthritis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xian, Pei-Feng; Chen, Ying; Yang, Lu; Liu, Guo-Tao; Peng, Peng; Wang, Sheng-Xu

    2016-06-01

    To investigate the therapeutic effect of acupoint injection of bee venom on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in rats and explore the mechanism of bee venom therapy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Fifteen male Wistar rats were randomly divided into bee venom treatment group (BV group), CIA model group, and control group. In the former two groups, CIA was induced by injections of collagen II+IFA (0.2 mL) via the tail vein, and in the control group, normal saline was injected instead. The rats in BV group received daily injection of 0.1 mL (3 mg/mL) bee venom for 7 consecutive days. All the rats were assessed for paw thickness and arthritis index from days 14 to 21, and the pain threshold was determined on day 21. The expressions of TRPV1 and TrkA in the dorsal root ganglion at the level of L4-6 were detected using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting, respectively. The rats in CIA model group started to show paw swelling on day 10, and by day 14, all the rats in this group showed typical signs of CIA. In BV group, the rats receiving been venom therapy for 7 days showed a significantly smaller paw thickness and a low arthritis index than those in the model group. The pain threshold was the highest in the control group and the lowest in the model group. TRPV1-positive cells and TrkA expression in the dorsal root ganglion was significantly reduced in BV group as compared with that in the model group. s Injection of bee venom can decrease expression of TRPV1 and TrkA in the dorsal root ganglion to produce anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, suggesting the potential value of bee venom in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

  13. The new control system of the SPS injection kicker

    CERN Document Server

    Antoine, A; Marchand, A; Verhagen, H

    2002-01-01

    The SPS accelerator will be used as injector for the LHC and has to be adapted to the LHC requirements. The tight specification on beam blow-up and bunch spacing in the SPS has required an upgrade program of the SPS injection kicker in order to obtain a reduction of the magnetic field ripple to less than ± 0.5% and of the magnet current rise time to less than 145 ns. In this context, the slow control part has been entirely rebuilt on the basis of off-the-shelf industrial components. A hierarchical architecture based on a SIEMENS S7-400 master programmable logic controller interconnected through PROFIBUS-DP to S7-300 deported and decentralised I/Os has been implemented. Integration of in-house specific G-64 hardware systems inside this industrial environment has been done through a PROFIBUS-DP to G-64 intelligent interface based on an OEM fieldbus mezzanine board on one side and an FPGA implementing the required functionality on the other. Simultaneously, the fast timing system has been completely reshuffled ...

  14. Influence of seasonal variations in sea level on the salinity regime of a coastal groundwater-fed wetland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Cameron; Harrington, Glenn A

    2015-01-01

    Seasonal variations in sea level are often neglected in studies of coastal aquifers; however, they may have important controls on processes such as submarine groundwater discharge, sea water intrusion, and groundwater discharge to coastal springs and wetlands. We investigated seasonal variations in salinity in a groundwater-fed coastal wetland (the RAMSAR listed Piccaninnie Ponds in South Australia) and found that salinity peaked during winter, coincident with seasonal sea level peaks. Closer examination of salinity variations revealed a relationship between changes in sea level and changes in salinity, indicating that sea level-driven movement of the fresh water-sea water interface influences the salinity of discharging groundwater in the wetland. Moreover, the seasonal control of sea level on wetland salinity seems to override the influence of seasonal recharge. A two-dimensional variable density model helped validate this conceptual model of coastal groundwater discharge by showing that fluctuations in groundwater salinity in a coastal aquifer can be driven by a seasonal coastal boundary condition in spite of seasonal recharge/discharge dynamics. Because seasonal variations in sea level and coastal wetlands are ubiquitous throughout the world, these findings have important implications for monitoring and management of coastal groundwater-dependent ecosystems. © 2014, National Ground Water Association.

  15. The clinical value of Huangqi injection in the treatment of leucopenia: a meta-analysis of clinical controlled trials.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Changsong Zhang

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Huangqi injection is derived from Astragalus membranaceus root. In China, recent reports of Huangqi injection for the treatment of leucopenia have emerged. However, a systematic review of these reports has not been performed. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis of clinical controlled trials to assess the clinical value of Huangqi injection in the treatment of leucopenia. METHODS: We searched the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM, Wanfang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, Chinese Scientific Journals Full-text Database (VIP, as well as PubMed and EMBASE to collect the data about trials of Huangqi injection for treating leucopenia. A meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.2 software. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies involving 841 patients were included in this study. The overall study quality was lower according to the Jadad scale. The meta-analysis showed that experimentally treated patients experienced greater therapeutic efficacy and lower white blood cell counts than control groups treated with Western medicine (P < 0.05. No publication bias was evident, according to Egger's test. CONCLUSIONS: The validity of this meta-analysis was limited by the overall poor quality of the included studies. Huangqi injection may have potential clinical value in the treatment of leucopenia, but confirmation with rigorously well-designed multi-center trials is needed.

  16. Different contrast injection protocols for 64-slice spiral CT coronary angiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Jinguo; Lv Bing; Bai Hua; Tang Xiang; Yang Xinling; Jiang Shiliang; Dai Ruiping; Qiu Jinhai; Chen Tao

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To determine the optimal contrast protocols for 64-slice spiral CT coronary angiography in order to reduce the volume of contrast injection. Methods: One hundred fifty patients scheduled to undergo 64-slice spiral CT coronary angiography were prospectively randomized into the following five groups with different injection protocols: group 1: uniphasic injection without a flush; group 2: biphasic injection with a flush; group 3, group 4 and group 5 : triphasic injection with a diluted contrast material with 3:7, 5:5, 7:3 contrast/saline ratio respectively. Attenuation was measured in the right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle, ascending aorta, right coronary artery and left coronary artery and analyzed with single factor variance test (ANOVA). The quality of the coronary artery images was evaluated and compared using person Chi-Square. Results: The total contrast material volume were (67.0±5.3) ml, (59.9±4.9) ml, (62.9±3.2) ml, (69.2±5.7) ml and (70.9±4.6) ml in five groups respectively (F=27.43, P 2 =18.81, P 2 =31.44, P<0.01). The artifacts in the superior vena cava in group 1 was the most, and in group 2 was the least. The mean enhancement values of right and left coronary arteries in group 2 were significantly greater than those in other groups (F=2.47 and 4.10, P<0.05). The visualization of both left ventricle and right ventricle cavities was the best in group 3. Conclusion: Biphasic injection and triphasic injection are better than uniphasic injection for 64-slice spiral CT coronary angiography and triphasic injection is better than biphasic injection for the visualization of both left ventricle and right ventricle cavities. (authors)

  17. In an animal model nephrogenic systemic fibrosis cannot be induced by intraperitoneal injection of high-dose gadolinium based contrast agents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Langer, R.D., E-mail: rlanger@uaeu.ac.ae [Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates); Lorke, D.E. [Florida International University, Miami, FL (United States); Neidl van Gorkom, K.F. [Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates); Petroianu, G. [Florida International University, Miami, FL (United States); Azimullah, S.; Nurulain, S.M.; Singh, S. [Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates); Fuchsjäger, M. [Al Ain Hospital, MUV-VAMED, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates)

    2012-10-15

    Aim and objective: Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) has been reported in humans to be most likely induced by gadolinium based contrast agents (GBCA), namely by gadodiamide, gadopentetate dimeglumine, and gadoversetamide, rarely by other GBCA. The pathogenesis of NSF remains unclear; different hypotheses are under discussion. The objective of the study is to assess if in the animal model human-like NSF changes can be induced by high-dose, intraperitoneal GBCA injections over four weeks. Materials and methods: After approval by the institutional animal ethics committee, six rats each were randomly assigned to groups, and treated with seven different GBCA. Intraperitoneal (IP) injections – proven in the animal model to be effective – were chosen to prolong the animals’ exposure to the respective GBCA. GBCA doses of previous intravenous (IV) animal studies were applied. After five weeks all rats were sacrificed. Sham controls were treated with IP saline injections, employing the same regimen. Results: No findings comparable with human NSF were observed in all animals after IP treatment with all seven GBCA at daily doses of 2.5 and 5.0 mmol/kg body weight (BW). No histopathological abnormalities of all examined organs were noted. Weight loss was stated in weeks three and four with GBCA injections at doses of 5.0 mmol/kg BW, but rats regained weight after cessation of GBCA treatment. Conclusions: NSF-comparable pathological findings could not be induced by high dose intraperitoneal injection of seven GBCA.

  18. In an animal model nephrogenic systemic fibrosis cannot be induced by intraperitoneal injection of high-dose gadolinium based contrast agents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Langer, R.D.; Lorke, D.E.; Neidl van Gorkom, K.F.; Petroianu, G.; Azimullah, S.; Nurulain, S.M.; Singh, S.; Fuchsjäger, M.

    2012-01-01

    Aim and objective: Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) has been reported in humans to be most likely induced by gadolinium based contrast agents (GBCA), namely by gadodiamide, gadopentetate dimeglumine, and gadoversetamide, rarely by other GBCA. The pathogenesis of NSF remains unclear; different hypotheses are under discussion. The objective of the study is to assess if in the animal model human-like NSF changes can be induced by high-dose, intraperitoneal GBCA injections over four weeks. Materials and methods: After approval by the institutional animal ethics committee, six rats each were randomly assigned to groups, and treated with seven different GBCA. Intraperitoneal (IP) injections – proven in the animal model to be effective – were chosen to prolong the animals’ exposure to the respective GBCA. GBCA doses of previous intravenous (IV) animal studies were applied. After five weeks all rats were sacrificed. Sham controls were treated with IP saline injections, employing the same regimen. Results: No findings comparable with human NSF were observed in all animals after IP treatment with all seven GBCA at daily doses of 2.5 and 5.0 mmol/kg body weight (BW). No histopathological abnormalities of all examined organs were noted. Weight loss was stated in weeks three and four with GBCA injections at doses of 5.0 mmol/kg BW, but rats regained weight after cessation of GBCA treatment. Conclusions: NSF-comparable pathological findings could not be induced by high dose intraperitoneal injection of seven GBCA

  19. Local corticosteroid versus autologous blood injections in lateral epicondylitis: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sirico, Felice; Ricca, Flavia; DI Meglio, Franca; Nurzynska, Daria; Castaldo, Clotilde; Spera, Rocco; Montagnani, Stefania

    2017-06-01

    Lateral epicondylitis is a common painful elbow disorder. Several approaches to treatment have been proposed, with a local injection of corticosteroids being the most frequently used. Recent insights into the pathophysiology encouraged the introduction of autologous blood injections as an alternative treatment method. The aim of this meta-analysis is to summarize quantitatively the evidence regarding the efficacy of corticosteroids and autologous blood injections for treatment of pain in lateral epicondylitis. Studies were considered eligible based on the following inclusion criteria: adult human, diagnosis of lateral epicondylitis, randomized controlled trials comparing corticosteroids versus autologous blood injections, pain assessment. Exclusion criteria were previous surgery for lateral epicondylitis or for other elbow disorders, concurrent treatment with drugs or physiotherapy, diagnosis of musculoskeletal systemic disorder. A systematic search of literature was performed according to the PRISMA statement. Effect size of each included study was calculated and analyzed in a random-effects model. Four studies, enrolling total of 218 patients (139 females and 79 males), were included in quantitative analysis. At 2 weeks, there was a trend towards a reduction of VAS score in the corticosteroid group (WMD=2.12 [95% CI: 4.38 to 0.14], P=0.07). No significant differences were recorded in the medium-term (4-12 weeks; WMD=0.85 [95% CI: -0.44 to 2.15], P=0.19) and long-term (24 weeks; WMD=0.63 [95% CI: -2.40 to 3.66], P=0.68) follow-up. Few high-quality trials compare the efficacy of corticosteroid and autologous blood injections in the control of pain related to lateral epicondylitis. Available data indicate that corticosteroids tend to reduce VAS score in short-term follow-up, although these data are not statistically significant. No differences were recorded in the medium and long term. Contrary to popular opinion among medical professionals, and despite

  20. Evolution of Planetary Ice-Ocean Systems: Effects of Salinity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allu Peddinti, D.; McNamara, A. K.

    2015-12-01

    Planetary oceanography is enjoying renewed attention thanks to not only the detection of several exoplanetary ocean worlds but also due to the expanding family of ocean worlds within our own star system. Our solar system is now believed to host about nine ocean worlds including Earth, some dwarf planets and few moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Amongst them, Europa, like Earth is thought to have an ice Ih-liquid water system. However, the thickness of the Europan ice-ocean system is much larger than that of the Earth. The evolution of this system would determine the individual thicknesses of the ice shell and the ocean. In turn, these thicknesses can alter the course of evolution of the system. In a pure H2O system, the thickness of the ice shell would govern if heat loss occurs entirely by conduction or if the shell begins to convect as it attains a threshold thickness. This switch between conduction-convection regimes could determine the longevity of the subsurface ocean and hence define the astrobiological potential of the planetary body at any given time. In reality, however, the system is not pure water ice. The detected induced magnetic field infers a saline ocean layer. Salts are expected to act as an anti-freeze allowing a subsurface ocean to persist over long periods but the amount of salts would determine the extent of that effect. In our current study, we use geodynamic models to examine the effect of salinity on the evolution of ice-ocean system. An initial ocean with different salinities is allowed to evolve. The effect of salinity on thickness of the two layers at any time is examined. We also track how salinity controls the switch between conductive-convective modes. The study shows that for a given time period, larger salinities can maintain a thick vigorously convecting ocean while the smaller salinities behave similar to a pure H2O system leading to a thick convecting ice-shell. A range of salinities identified can potentially predict the current state