bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of size, shape and core–shell interface on surface plasmon resonance in Ag and Ag@MgO nanoparticle films deposited on Si/SiOx
Authors: D’Addato Sergio , Pinotti Daniele , Spadaro Maria Chiara , Paolicelli Guido , Grillo Vincenzo , Valeri Sergio , Pasquali Luca , Bergamini Luca , Corni Stefano
Published: February 2015

Ag and Ag@MgO core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) with a diameter of d = 3–10 nm were obtained by physical synthesis methods and deposited on Si with its native ultrathin oxide layer SiOx (Si/SiOx). Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of bare Ag NPs revealed the presence of small NP aggregates caused by diffusion on the surface and agglomeration. Atomic resolution TEM gave evidence of the presence of crystalline multidomains in the NPs, which were due to aggregation and multitwinning occurring during NP growth in the nanocluster source. Co-deposition of Ag NPs and Mg atoms in an oxygen atmosphere gave rise to formation of a MgO shell matrix surrounding the Ag NPs. The behaviour of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) excitation in surface differential reflectivity (SDR) spectra with p-polarised light was investigated for bare Ag and Ag@MgO NPs. It was shown that the presence of MgO around the Ag NPs caused a red shift of the plasmon excitation, and served to preserve its existence after prolonged (five months) exposure to air, realizing the possibility of technological applications in plasmonic devices. The Ag NP and Ag@MgO NP film features in the SDR spectra could be reproduced by classical electrodynamics simulations by treating the NP-containing layer as an effective Maxwell Garnett medium. The simulations gave results in agreement with the experiments when accounting for the experimentally observed aggregation.
A surface acoustic wave-driven micropump for particle uptake investigation under physiological flow conditions in very small volumes
Authors: Strobl Florian G , Breyer Dominik , Link Phillip , Torrano Adriano A , Bräuchle Christoph , Schneider Matthias F , Wixforth Achim
Published: February 2015

Static conditions represent an important shortcoming of many in vitro experiments on the cellular uptake of nanoparticles. Here, we present a versatile microfluidic device based on acoustic streaming induced by surface acoustic waves (SAWs). The device offers a convenient method for introducing fluid motion in standard cell culture chambers and for mimicking capillary blood flow. We show that shear rates over the whole physiological range in sample volumes as small as 200 μL can be achieved. A precise characterization method for the induced flow profile is presented and the influence of flow on the uptake of Pt-decorated CeO2 particles by endothelial cells (HMEC-1) is demonstrated. Under physiological flow conditions the particle uptake rates for this system are significantly lower than at low shear conditions. This underlines the vital importance of the fluidic environment for cellular uptake mechanisms.
Effect of Acupuncture on Body Weight Reduction and Inflammatory Mediators in Egyptian Obese Patients
Authors: Abou Ismail Laila Ahmed , Ibrahim Alshaymaa Ahmed , Abdel-Latif Ghada A. , Abd El-Haleem Dalia Adel , Helmy Ghada , Labib Lylah M. , El-Masry M. Kadry
Published: February 2015

AIM: Aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of body acupuncture on body weight loss, routine laboratory tests and pro-inflammatory markers.METHODOLOGY: The study was performed on eighty obese patients. They were divided into three groups according to their body mass index. Subjects received acupuncture for three- six months in combination with a low-calorie diet. They were assessed pre and post acupuncture, by anthropometric measurement, routine laboratory tests and, tumor necrosis factor- alpha (TNF-Î±), interleukin- 6 (IL-6), and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels in serum.RESULTS: The pre-acupuncture results showed significant difference between the three grades of obesity and the controls regarding TNFÎ±, IL-6 and hsCRP. We found significant reduction in anthropometric measurement of adiposity after acupuncture. In comparing the pre &post acupuncture results of TNF-Î±, IL-6 and hsCRP showed high significant reduction after acupuncture. There are highly significant decrease in kidney function (creatinine and uric acid) and lipid profile (cholesterol and triglycerides) and fasting blood glucose, but there was no significant difference in urea, SGPT, SGOT, HDL and LDL.CONCLUSION: Body acupuncture in combination with diet restriction was found to be effective for weight loss and also reduction of the inflammatory reactions. Acupuncture could be used as a synergistic treatment option for obesity control.
Determination of Acyclovir in Human Plasma Samples by HPLC Method with UV Detection: Application to Single-Dose Pharmacokinetic Study
Authors: Zendelovska Dragica , Simeska Suzana , Atanasovska Emilija , Georgievska Kalina , Kikerkov Igor , Labachevski Nikola , Jakovski Krume , Balkanov Trajan
Published: February 2015

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is estimation of pharmacokinetic parameters: Cmax, tmax, t1/2, AUC0-t and AUC0-âˆž with the two-way analysis of variance, single observation (ANOVA) for two preparations containing acyclovir.OBJECTIVE: In order to evaluate pharmacokinetic study of acyclovir, method for quantitative determination of acyclovir in human plasma should be simple, rapid and reproducible. Therefore, the method is developed, validated and applied for analysis of acyclovir in plasma samples obtained from healthy volunteers.MATERIAL AND METHODS: High performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with UV-detection for the determination of acyclovir in human plasma is presented. This method involves protein precipitation with 20 % (V/V) perchloric acid. The chromatographic separation was accomplished on a reversed phase C8 column with a mobile phase composed of 0.1 % (v/v) triethylamine in water (pH 2.5). No internal standard is required. UV detection was set at 255 nm. The method was successfully applied for the evaluation of pharmacokinetic profiles of acyclovir tablets in 24 healthy volunteers.RESULTS: The validation results shows that proposed method is rugged, precise (RSDs for intra- and inter-day precision ranged from 1.02 to 8.37 %) and accurate (relative errors are less than 6.66 %). The calibration curve was linear in the concentration range of 0.1-2.0 Âµg/ml and the limit of quantification was 0.1 Âµg/ml. The Cmax, tmax and AUCs for the two products were not statistically different (p>0.05), suggesting that the plasma profiles generated by Zovirax were comparable to those produced by acyclovir manufactured by Jaka 80 company.CONCLUSION: Good precision, accuracy, simplicity, sensitivity and shorter time of analysis of the method makes it particularly useful for processing of multiple samples in a limited period of time for pharmacokinetic study of acyclovir.
Chronic Respiratory Symptoms and Lung Function in Agricultural Workers - Influence of Exposure Duration and Smoking
Authors: Stoleski Saso , Minov Jordan , Mijakoski Dragan , Karadzinska-Bislimovska Jovanka
Published: February 2015

INTRODUCTION: Job exposure in agricultural workers often leads to respiratory impairment.AIM: To assess the influence of exposure duration and smoking on chronic respiratory symptoms and ventilatory capacity in agricultural workers.METHODS: A cross-sectional study covered 75 agricultural workers, compared with an equal number of office workers matched by age, exposure duration and smoking status. Standardized questionnaire was used to obtain data on chronic respiratory symptoms, job and smoking history. Lung functional testing was performed by spirometry.RESULTS: The prevalence of respiratory symptoms was higher in agricultural workers, with significant difference for cough (P = 0.034), and dyspnea (P = 0.028). Chronic respiratory symptoms among agricultural workers were significantly associated with duration of exposure (P < 0.05) and daily smoking (P < 0.01), as well as with daily smoking in controls (P < 0.01). The average values of spirometric parameters in exposed workers were significantly different for MEF50 (P = 0.002), MEF75 (P = 0.000), and MEF25-75 (P = 0.049). Obstructive changes in small airways in exposed workers were strongly related to exposure duration (P < 0.05) and smoking (P < 0.01). Agricultural workers with job exposure more than 15 years had more expressed adverse respiratory symptoms and lung function decline.CONCLUSION: The results confirmed the influence of agricultural exposure and daily smoking on chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation, primarily targeting the small airways.
Achieving Higher Diagnostic Results in Stereotactic Brain Biopsy by Simple and Novel Technique
Authors: Gulsen Salih
Published: February 2015

BACKGROUND: Neurosurgeons have preferred to perform the stereotactic biopsy for pathologic diagnosis when the intracranial pathology located eloquent areas and deep sites of the brain.AIM: To get a higher ratio of definite pathologic diagnosis during stereotactic biopsy and develop practical method.MATERIAL AND METHODS: We determined at least two different target points and two different trajectories to take brain biopsy during stereotactic biopsy. It is a different way from the conventional stereotactic biopsy method in which one point has been selected to take a biopsy. We separated our patients into two groups, group 1 (N=10), and group 2 (N= 19). We chose one target to take a biopsy in group 1, and two different targets and two different trajectories in group 2. In group 2, one patient underwent craniotomy due to hemorrhage at the site of the biopsy during tissue biting. However, none of the patients in both groups suffered any neurological complication related biopsy procedure.RESULTS: In group 1, two of 10 cases, and, in group 2, fourteen of 19 cases had positive biopsy harvesting. These results showed statistically significant difference between group 1 and group 2 (P<0.05).CONCLUSIONS: Regarding these results, choosing more than one trajectories and taking at least six specimens from each target provides higher diagnostic rate in stereotaxic biopsy taking method.
Current Scientific Impact of Ss Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, Republic of Macedonia in the Scopus Database (1960-2014)
Authors: Spiroski Mirko
Published: February 2015

Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze current scientific impact of Ss Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, Republic of Macedonia in the Scopus Database (1960-2014).Material and Methods: Affiliation search of the Scopus database was performed on November 23, 2014 in order to identify published papers from the Ss Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje (UC&M), Republic of Macedonia. A total number of 3960 articles (3055 articles from UC&M, 861 articles from Faculty of Medicine, UC&M, and 144 articles from Faculty of Pharmacy, UC&M) were selected for analysis (1960-2014). SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP) and h-index were calculated from the Scopus database.Results: The number of published papers was sharply increased with maximum of 379 papers in 2012 year. The largest number of papers has been published in Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, Journal of Molecular Structure, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Acta Pharmecutica, and Macedonian Journal of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. The biggest SJR and SNIP has journal Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation. First three places of the top ten authors belong to Dimirovski GM, Gavrilovska L, and Gusev M. Top three places based on Scopus h-index (total number of published papers) belong to Kocarev L, Stafilov T, and Polenakovic M. The majority of papers originate from UC&M, but significant numbers of papers are affiliated to Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, and Institute of Chemistry as a members of UC&M, as well as Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Articles are the most dominant type of documents followed by conference papers, and review articles. Medicine is the most represented subject. Conclusion: Officials of the Ss Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje should undertake more effective and proactive policies for journal publishers and their Editorial Boards in order to include more journals from UC&M in the Scopus database.
Burnout and Work Demands Predict Reduced Job Satisfaction in Health Professionals Working In a Surgery Clinic
Authors: Mijakoski Dragan , Karadzinska-Bislimovska Jovanka , Basarovska Vera , Stoleski Sasho , Minov Jordan
Published: February 2015

BACKGROUND: Burnout syndrome develops in health professionals (HPs) as a result of exposure to chronic emotional and interpersonal workplace stressors. Research demonstrates the links between burnout, work demands, and job satisfaction in hospital HPs.AIMS: To examine the associations between burnout, work demands and job satisfaction, and to demonstrate the mediation effect of emotional exhaustion on the relationship between work demands and job satisfaction in surgery clinic HPs.METHODS: Maslach Burnout Inventory was used for assessment of burnout. Work demands and job satisfaction were measured with Hospital Experience Scale and Job Satisfaction Survey, respectively. In order to examine the role of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and work demands, controlling for age, hospital tenure, and unit tenure, a hierarchical multiple regression models were tested for each job satisfaction factor.RESULTS: Job satisfaction was negatively predicted by emotional exhaustion. Certain types of work demands negatively predicted different factors of job satisfaction. Emotional exhaustion was a significant partial mediator of the relationship between work demands and job satisfaction.CONCLUSIONS: Adequate management of work demands, particularly excessive workload, time pressure, and lack of staff can lead to prevention of burnout and reduced job satisfaction in surgery clinic HPs, and contribute to better quality of patient care.
Early and late hydration of supersulphated cements of blast furnace slag with fluorgypsum
Authors: Bazaldúa-Medellín M. E. , Fuentes A. F. , Gorokhovsky A. , Escalante-García J. I.
Published: February 2015

The hydration, strength development and composition of hydration products of supersulphated cements were characterized from the first 48 hours up to 360 days. Two compositions of 80% Blast furnace slag, 10–15% Fluorgypsum and 10–5% Portland cement were cured in dry and wet conditions. The main hydration products were ettringite and C-S-H since the first hours and up to 360 days as evidenced by X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis and electron microscopy. The strength was favored by higher fluorgypsum contents and lower Portland cement contents. These cements generated heats of hydration of 40–57 KJ/Kg after 28 hours, which are lower than portland cement.
Trichobezoars in children: therapeutic complications
Authors: Mariotto A. , Peretti M. , Scirè G. , Mantovani A. , Zambaldo S. , Pani E. , Camoglio F. Saverio , Giacomello L.
Published: February 2015

Trichobezoars are concretions formed by the accumulation of hair or fibers in the gastrointestinal tract, usually associated with underlying psychiatric disorders in females between 13 and 20 years old. Endoscopy, the gold standard for diagnosis, brings some additional advantages: sample taking, size reducing and, rarely, mass removal. This study shows that endoscopy can cause severe complications resulting in a surgical emergency.
Determination of Chlorophenoxy Acid Methyl Esters and Other Chlorinated Herbicides by GC High-resolution QTOFMS and Soft lonization
Authors: Lopez-Avila Viorica , Roach Patrick , Urdahl Randall
Published: February 2015

Gas chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-QTOFMS) and soft ionization generated by a rare-gas plasma is described here for the determination of various chlorophenoxy acid methyl esters and a few chlorinated herbicides. This plasma-based, wavelength-selectable ionization source, which can use Xe, Kr, Ar, Ne, or He as the plasma gas, enables ionization of GC-amenable compounds with ionization energies below 8.4, 10, 11.6, 16.5, or 22.4 eV, respectively. The advantages of soft ionization include enhanced molecular ions, reduced fragmentation, and reduced background noise as compared to electron ionization. In the study presented here for two plasma gases, we demonstrate that Kr plasma, which is softer than Ar plasma, yields molecular ions with a relative intensity >60% for 11 of the 16 test compounds. When using this “tunable” plasma to ionize the analytes, there is the possibility for selective ionization and less fragmentation, which may lead to increased sensitivity and may help structure elucidation, especially when using high-resolution mass spectrometry that generates accurate masses within a few parts per million (ppm) mass errors. Data generated with the Ar plasma and real matrices such as a peppermint extract, a plum extract, and an orange peel extract, spiked with 16 test compounds, indicate that the test compounds can be detected at 1-10 pg/µL of extract, and compounds such as menthone, limonene, eucalyptol, pinene, caryophylene, and other C15H24 isomers, which are present in the peppermint and the orange peel extracts at ppm to percent levels, do not appear to interfere with the determination of the chlorophenoxy acid methyl esters or the chlorinated herbicides, although there were matrix effects when the test compounds were spiked at 1-10 pg/µL of extract.
Identification and Expression Analysis of Ribosome Biogenesis Factor Co-orthologs inSolanum lycopersicum
Authors: Simm Stefan , Fragkostefanakis Sotirios , Paul Puneet , Keller Mario , Einloft Jens , Scharf Klaus-Dieter , Schleiff Enrico
Published: February 2015

Ribosome biogenesis involves a large inventory of proteinaceous and RNA cofactors. More than 250 ribosome biogenesis factors (RBFs) have been described in yeast. These factors are involved in multiple aspects like rRNA processing, folding, and modification as well as in ribosomal protein (RP) assembly. Considering the importance of RBFs for particular developmental processes, we examined the complexity of RBF and RP (co-)orthologs by bioinformatic assignment in 14 different plant species and expression profiling in the model crop Solanum lycopersicum. Assigning (co-)orthologs to each RBF revealed that at least 25% of all predicted RBFs are encoded by more than one gene. At first we realized that the occurrence of multiple RBF co-orthologs is not globally correlated to the existence of multiple RP co-orthologs. The transcript abundance of genes coding for predicted RBFs and RPs in leaves and anthers of S. lycopersicum was determined by next generation sequencing (NGS). In combination with existing expression profiles, we can conclude that co-orthologs of RBFs by large account for a preferential function in different tissue or at distinct developmental stages. This notion is supported by the differential expression of selected RBFs during male gametophyte development. In addition, co-regulated clusters of RBF and RP coding genes have been observed. The relevance of these results is discussed.
Pathway-based Biomarkers for Breast Cancer in Proteomics
Authors: Zhang Fan , Deng Youping , Wang Mu , Cui Li , Drabier Renee
Published: February 2015

Genes do not function alone but through complex biological pathways. Pathway-based biomarkers may be a reliable diagnostic tool for early detection of breast cancer due to the fact that breast cancer is not a single homogeneous disease. We applied Integrated Pathway Analysis Database (IPAD) and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) approaches to the study of pathway-based biomarker discovery problem in breast cancer proteomics. Our strategy for identifying and analyzing pathway-based biomarkers are threefold. Firstly, we performed pathway analysis with IPAD to build the gene set database. Secondly, we ran GSEA to identify 16 pathway-based biomarkers. Lastly, we built a Support Vector Machine model with three-way data split and fivefold cross-validation to validate the biomarkers. The approach-unraveling the intricate pathways, networks, and functional contexts in which genes or proteins function-is essential to the understanding molecular mechanisms of pathway-based biomarkers in breast cancer.
An Improved Version of Logistic Bayesian LASSO for Detecting Rare Haplotype-Environment Interactions with Application to Lung Cancer
Authors: Zhang Yuan , Biswas Swati
Published: February 2015

The importance of haplotype association and gene-environment interactions (GxE) in the context of rare variants has been underlined in voluminous literature. Recently, a software based on logistic Bayesian LASSO (LBL) was proposed for detecting GxE, where G is a rare (or common) haplotype variant (rHTV)-it is called LBL-GxE. However, it required relatively long computation time and could handle only one environmental covariate with two levels. Here we propose an improved version of LBL-GxE, which is not only computationally faster but can also handle multiple covariates, each with multiple levels. We also discuss details of the software, including input, output, and some options. We apply LBL-GxE to a lung cancer dataset and find a rare haplotype with protective effect for current smokers. Our results indicate that LBL-GxE, especially with the improvements proposed here, is a useful and computationally viable tool for investigating rare haplotype interactions.
Regulation of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Breast Cancer Cells by Cell Contact and Adhesion
Authors: Cichon Magdalena A. , Nelson Celeste M. , Radisky Derek C.
Published: February 2015

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a physiological program that is activated during cancer cell invasion and metastasis. We show here that EMT-related processes are linked to a broad and conserved program of transcriptional alterations that are influenced by cell contact and adhesion. Using cultured human breast cancer and mouse mammary epithelial cells, we find that reduced cell density, conditions under which cell contact is reduced, leads to reduced expression of genes associated with mammary epithelial cell differentiation and increased expression of genes associated with breast cancer. We further find that treatment of cells with matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), an inducer of EMT, interrupts a defined subset of cell contact-regulated genes, including genes encoding a variety of RNA splicing proteins known to regulate the expression of Rac1b, an activated splice isoform of Rac1 known to be a key mediator of MMP-3-induced EMT in breast, lung, and pancreas. These results provide new insights into how MMPs act in cancer progression and how loss of cell-cell interactions is a key step in the earliest stages of cancer development.
Intraperitoneal Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma: Role of Chemotherapy and Bone Marrow Allotransplantation in Locally Advanced Disease?
Authors: Liberale G. , Keriakos K. , Azerad M. A. , De Saint Aubain N. , Nakadi I. El
Published: February 2015

We describe a case of a 44 year-old woman diagnosed with follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS). FDCS is a very rare disease affecting the dendritic antigen presenting cells and is often misdiagnosed. Surgery is considered the best treatment modality, followed by chemotherapy. In our case, surgical excision was not possible, therefore the patient received two lines of chemotherapy followed by bone marrow allotransplantation, then a third line of chemotherapy with a complete metabolic response seen on PET/computed tomography (CT) follow-up 29 months later. A review of the literature has been performed.
Cyclopia: A Rare Condition with Unusual Presentation - A Case Report
Authors: Salama Ghassan S.A. , Kaabneh Mahmoud A.F. , Al-Raqad Mohamed K. , Al-Abdallah Ibrahim M.H. , Shakkoury Ayoub Ga , Halaseh Ruba A.A.
Published: February 2015

Introduction

Cyclopia (alobar holoprosencephaly) (OMIM% 236100) is a rare and lethal complex human malformation, resulting from incomplete cleavage of prosencephalon into right and left hemispheres occurring between the 18th and the 28th day of gestation. Holoprosencephaly occurs in 1/16,000 live births, and 1/250 during embryogenesis. Approximately 1.05 in 100,000 births are identified as infants with cyclopia, including stillbirths. Cyclopia typically presents with a median single eye or a partially divided eye in a single orbit, absent nose, and a proboscis above the eye. Extracranial malformations described in stillbirths with cyclopia include polydactyl, renal dysplasia, and an omphalocele. The etiology of this rare syndrome, which is incompatible with life, is still largely unknown. Most cases are sporadic. Heterogeneous risk factors have been implicated as possible causes.

Case Presentation

A live full-term baby with birth weight of 2900 g, product of cesarean section because of severe fetal bradycardia, was born at Prince Hashem Military Hospital – Zarqa city/Jordan. This newborn was the first baby to a non-consanguineous family, and a healthy 18-year-old mother, with no history of drug ingestion or febrile illnesses during pregnancy. Antenatal history revealed severe hydrocephalus diagnosed early by intrauterine ultrasound but the pregnancy was not terminated because of the lack of medical legitimization in the country. On examination, the newborn was found to have a dysmorphic face, with a median single eye, absence of nose, micrognathia, and a proboscis above the eye, all of which made cyclopia the possible initial diagnosis. Multiple unusual abdominal defects were present that include a huge omphalocele containing whole liver and spleen, urinary bladder extrophy, and undefined abnormal external genitalia, which called for urgent confirmation. Brain MRI was done and revealed findings consistent with alobar holoprosencephaly (cyclopia).

Conclusion

Presentation of cyclopia is not fully exposed and new cyclopian syndromes still can appear. The prenatal diagnosis of cyclopia can be made early by ultrasound, and the awareness of the spectrum of sonographic findings of cyclopia can improve the accuracy of prenatal diagnosis. The legitimization of pregnancy termination for indexed cases in many countries around the world should be revised.
Intravenous Lipids for Preterm Infants: A Review
Authors: Salama Ghassan S. A. , Kaabneh Mahmmoud A.F. , Almasaeed Mai N. , Alquran Mohammad I.A.
Published: February 2015

Extremely low birth weight infants (ELBW) are born at a time when the fetus is undergoing rapid intrauterine brain and body growth. Continuation of this growth in the first several weeks postnatally during the time these infants are on ventilator support and receiving critical care is often a challenge. These infants are usually highly stressed and at risk for catabolism. Parenteral nutrition is needed in these infants because most cannot meet the majority of their nutritional needs using the enteral route. Despite adoption of a more aggressive approach with amino acid infusions, there still appears to be a reluctance to use early intravenous lipids. This is based on several dogmas that suggest that lipid infusions may be associated with the development or exacerbation of lung disease, displace bilirubin from albumin, exacerbate sepsis, and cause CNS injury and thrombocytopena. Several recent reviews have focused on intravenous nutrition for premature neonate, but very little exists that provides a comprehensive review of intravenous lipid for very low birth and other critically ill neonates. Here, we would like to provide a brief basic overview, of lipid biochemistry and metabolism of lipids, especially as they pertain to the preterm infant, discuss the origin of some of the current clinical practices, and provide a review of the literature, that can be used as a basis for revising clinical care, and provide some clarity in this controversial area, where clinical care is often based more on tradition and dogma than science.
Sistema híbrido para filtração e desinfecção de efluente de lagoas
Authors: Silva Welitom Ttatom Pereira da , Santos A. de Almeida , Filho H. Rodrigues , Gomes L. Airton
Published: February 2015

O principal objetivo deste estudo foi desenvolver uma unidade de pos-tratamento, para remoção de sólidos totais em suspensão e coliformes termotolerantes, dos efluentes de um conjunto de lagoas de estabilização, que trata despejos de uma indústria alimentícia. Para tal, foi construído um filtro ascendente em serie com uma câmara de contato (sistema híbrido). O monitoramento do sistema complementar apresentou bons resultados em termos de remoção de DQO, DBO e sólidos em suspensão totais, com valores de eficiência variando entre 54-83%, 70-90% e 51-92%, respectivamente, para uma taxa hidráulica aplicada, variando de 0,01 a 0,09m3/m2d. Com relação aos microrganismos patogênicos, obteve-se uma completa remoção de coliformes termotolerantes usando Fator Ct de 25mg/Lmin., a temperatura ambiente de 291,5◦C.
Thoracic Wall Metastasis from an Occult Thyroid Follicular Carcinoma
Authors: Nawarathna Nadeesha Jeewan , Kumarasinghe NR , Chandrasekara D , Rathnayake P , Balasooriya BMRS , Senevirathne RJK
Published: February 2015

Occult thyroid carcinoma presenting with clinically apparent metastasis is rare and is a diagnostic challenge. Here, we report a 67-year-old male who presented with a left side chest wall mass resembling a soft tissue sarcoma of 1 year duration. The mass showed rapid enlargement at the latter end of its course, following an initial asymptomatic period. Imaging studies showed a soft tissue mass eroding into several ribs. Wide local excision with primary reconstruction was performed. Histological studies and immune staining revealed metastasis from a follicular thyroid carcinoma. Total thyroidectomy followed, confirming the diagnosis. Postoperatively, radioisotope ablation (I131) was done. A suppression dose of thyroxin was continued with regular thyroglobulin assays. Painful bone metastasis responded well to analgesics, bisphosphonates and external beam radiotherapy. Follicular carcinoma comprises 10 to 15% of thyroid malignancies. Localized thyroid carcinoma has a very good prognosis, 10 years survival rates reducing by 50% with metastatic disease. Commonly, thyroid cancer presents as detectable thyroid nodules, 25% having metastasis. In contrast, metastatic manifestations are reported in less than 5% of occult thyroid cancers.

How to cite this article

Nawarathna NJ, Kumarasinghe NR, Chandrasekara D, Rathnayake P, Balasooriya BMRS, Senevirathne RJK. Thoracic Wall Metastasis from an Occult Thyroid Follicular Carcinoma. World J Endoc Surg 2014;6(3):119-122.
A Comparative Study of Hand Hygiene Practices in Operation Theaters in Tertiary Level Hospitals in Delhi, India
Authors: Gupta Shakti Kumar , Singh IB , Kumar Parmeshwar , Vij Aarti
Published: February 2015

Background

Healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) are directly related to the hand hygiene practices. Differences in implementation of practices may exist among hospitals despite standard guidelines.

Objective

To compare the hand hygiene practices in the operation theaters of tertiary care hospitals in Delhi. Design and setting: A 6-months descriptive and cross-sectional study conducted in operation theaters of tertiary level, referral public and private sector hospitals in Delhi.

Design and setting

A 6-months descriptive and cross-sectional study conducted in operation theaters of tertiary level, referral public and private sector hospitals in Delhi.

Materials and methods

Six leading multispecialty hospitals, three each from the private and public sectors were selected through purposive sampling. The sample comprised of cases from one major operation theater (OT) from each hospital conducting general surgery cases (10% of all cases).

A performa with 24 parameters was designed using the Center for Disease Control Guidelines for hand hygiene. Hospitals were analysed in categories and also independently.

Results

One thousand nine hundred and twenty observations were analyzed from six hospitals. The level of compliance was higher among the private sector and the autonomous hospital. Statistically significant differences were observed with groups of hand hygiene parameters namely hand washing, selection of hand hygiene agent, skin care, and educational programs and surgical scrub, but not regarding hand hygiene policy or technique. Comparison of five hand hygiene practices strongly recommended by CDC practices revealed significant differences. Adherence to hand washing practices was 76%, surgical scrub practice was 85% and overall compliance of hand hygiene practice was 80.5%.

Conclusion

The study revealed gaps in implementation of hand hygiene practices despite standard guidelines. In future, post interventional studies may reflect the extent of improvement of these practices through reduction in HCAIs.

How to cite this article

Kumar P, Gupta SK, Kapil A, Vij A, Singh IB. A Comparative Study of Hand Hygiene Practices in Operation Theaters in Tertiary Level Hospitals in Delhi, India. Int J Res Foundation Hosp Healthc Adm 2014;2(2):87-93.
An Assessment of Diagnostic Equipment Utilization in a Tertiary Healthcare Setup: A Key to Economical Patient Management
Authors: Chaudhary Poonam , Kaul Pankaj
Published: February 2015

Equipment utilization management is the evaluation of the medical equipment necessity, appropriateness, and efficiency of the use in the healthcare services or procedures. The investment on an equipment is said to be a good one if it shows a utilization coefficient of 50% or above.

The study was descriptive observational in nature and was conducted in the Histopathology Department, PGIMER, Chandigarh. The data for the entire year of 2012 was collected by studying various records of the department including purchase files, inventory registers, log books and service records of medical equipments.

The results indicated that the Utilization Coefficients of various diagnostic equipments in the department of Histopathology, PGIMER, Chandigarh for the year 2012 were in the order of 58.1, 62.1 and 60.4% for high cost, medium cost and low cost equipments respectively.

On an average, the utilization coefficient of medical equipments under study (Year 2012) of the Histopathology Department, PGIMER, Chandigarh, was found to be 60.2% (above 50%). This figure reflects that the budget spent on average medical diagnostic equipment in this department is very much justifiable. The study also showed that the cost incurred on various cost categories of diagnostic equipments, i.e. the low, medium and high cost equipments was also equally important.

How to cite this article

Chaudhary P, Kaul P. An Assessment of Diagnostic Equipment Utilization in a Tertiary Healthcare Setup: A Key to Economical Patient Management. Int J Res Foundation Hosp Healthc Adm 2014;2(2):111-116.
Effects of molecular weight and temperature on liquid–liquid phase separation in particles containing organic species and inorganic salts
Authors: You Y. , Bertram A. K.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Atmospheric particles containing organic species and inorganic salts may undergo liquid–liquid phase separation when the relative humidity varies between high and low values. To better understand the parameters that affect liquid–liquid phase separation in atmospheric particles, we studied the effects of molecular weight and temperature on liquid–liquid phase separation in particles containing one organic species mixed with either ammonium sulfate or ammonium bisulfate. In the molecular-weight-dependent studies, we measured liquid–liquid phase separation relative humidity (SRH) in particles containing ammonium sulfate and organic species with large molecular weights (up to 1153 Da). These results were combined with recent studies of liquid–liquid phase separation in the literature to assess if molecular weight is a useful parameter for predicting SRH. The combined results, which include results from 33 different particle types, illustrate that SRH does not depend strongly on molecular weight (i.e., a clear relationship between molecular weight and SRH was not observed). In the temperature-dependent studies, we measured liquid–liquid phase separation in particles containing ammonium sulfate mixed with 20 different organic species at 244 ± 1 K, 263 ± 1 K, and 278 ± 1 K; a few particles were also studied at 290 ± 1 K. These new results were combined with previous measurements of the same particle types at 290 ± 1 K. The combined SRH data illustrate that for the organic–ammonium sulfate particles studied, the SRH does not depend strongly on temperature. At most the SRH varied by 9.7% as the temperature varied from 290 to 244 K. The high SRH values (> 65%) in these experiments may explain the lack of temperature dependence. Since water is a plasticizer, high relative humidities can lead to high water contents, low viscosities, and high diffusion rates in the particles. For these cases, unless the temperature is very low, liquid–liquid phase separation is not expected to be kinetically inhibited. The occurrence of liquid–liquid phase separation and SRH did depend strongly on temperature over the range of 290–244 K for particles containing α,4-dihydroxy-3-methoxybenzeneacetic acid mixed with ammonium bisulfate. For this particle type, a combination of low temperatures and low water content likely favored kinetic inhabitation of the liquid–liquid phase separation by slow diffusion rates in highly viscous particles. The combined results suggest that liquid–liquid phase separation is likely a common occurrence in atmospheric particles at temperatures from 244–290 K, although particles that do not undergo liquid–liquid phase separation are also likely common.
Size-resolved observations of refractory black carbon particles in cloud droplets at a marine boundary layer site
Authors: Schroder J. C. , Hanna S. J. , Modini R. L. , Corrigan A. L. , Kreidenwies S. M. , Macdonald A. M. , Noone K. J. , Russell L. M. , Leaitch W. R. , Bertram A. K.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Size-resolved observations of aerosol particles and cloud droplet residuals were studied at a marine boundary layer site (251 m a.m.s.l.) in La Jolla, San Diego, California, during 2012. A counterflow virtual impactor (CVI) was used as the inlet to sample cloud residuals while a total inlet was used to sample both cloud residuals and interstitial particles. Two cloud events totaling 10 h of in-cloud sampling were analyzed. Based on bulk aerosol particle concentrations, mass concentrations of refractory black carbon (rBC), and back trajectories, the two air masses sampled were classified as polluted marine air. Since the fraction of cloud droplets sampled by the CVI was less than 100%, the measured activated fractions of rBC should be considered as lower limits to the total fraction of rBC activated during the two cloud events. Size distributions of rBC and a coating analysis showed that sub-100 nm rBC cores with relatively thick coatings were incorporated into the cloud droplets (i.e., 95 nm rBC cores with median coating thicknesses of at least 65 nm were incorporated into the cloud droplets). Measurements also show that the coating volume fraction of rBC cores is relatively large for sub-100 nm rBC cores. For example, the median coating volume fraction of 95 nm rBC cores incorporated into cloud droplets was at least 0.9, a result that is consistent with κ-Köhler theory. Measurements of the total diameter of the rBC-containing particles (rBC core and coating) suggest that the total diameter of rBC-containing particles needed to be at least 165 nm to be incorporated into cloud droplets when the core rBC diameter is ≥ 85 nm. This result is consistent with previous work that has shown that particle diameter is important for activation of non-rBC particles. The activated fractions of rBC determined from the measurements ranged from 0.01 to 0.1 for core rBC diameters ranging from 70 to 220 nm. This type of data is useful for constraining models used for predicting rBC concentrations in the atmosphere.
Peroxynitric acid (HO2NO2) measurements during the UBWOS 2013 and 2014 studies using iodide ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry
Authors: Veres P. R. , Roberts J. M. , Wild R. J. , Edwards P. M. , Brown S. S. , Bates T. S. , Quinn P. K. , Johnson J. E. , Zamora R. J. , de Gouw J.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Laboratory work is reported here establishing iodide ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry (I− CIMS) as a sensitive method for the unambiguous detection of peroxynitric acid (HO2NO2, PNA). A~dynamic calibration source for HO2NO2, HO2, and HONO was developed and calibrated using a~novel total NOy detector (NOy CaRDS). Photochemical sources of these species were used for the calibration and validation of the I− CIMS instrument for detection of HO2NO2. A dual inlet system was developed to determine differences in the instrument response when using a heated inlet dissociator (150 °C) and a "cold" room-temperature inlet. HO2NO2 was detected as I-HO2− (m/z 160), NO3− (m/z 62) and I-HO2NO2− (m/z 206). The I− CIMS normalized sensitivity to peroxynitric acid was 2.0 Hz pptv−1 with a detection limit (3σ) of 40 pptv via detection of the I-HO2− (m/z 160) cluster ion using an inlet dissociator at a temperature of 150 °C. Alternatively, PNA was detected via I− CIMS with a cold inlet at both the NO3− (m/z 62) and I-HO2NO2− (m/z 206) ions with normalized detection sensitivities of 144 and 0.4 Hz pptv−1 respectively. The cold inlet sensitivity of iodide CIMS towards the detection of HO2 radicals, also via detection at the I-HO2− cluster ion, a potential HO2NO2 interference, was approximately 2.6 Hz pptv−1 with an instrumental detection limit (3σ) of 20 pptv. Ambient observations of HO2NO2 using I− CIMS were made during the 2013 and 2014 Uintah Basin Wintertime Ozone Study (UBWOS) are presented. Strong inversions leading to a build-up of many primary and secondary pollutants as well as low temperatures drove daytime HO2NO2 as high as 1.5 ppbv during the 2013 study. A comparison of HO2NO2 observations to mixing ratios predicted using a chemical box model describing an ozone formation event observed during the 2013 wintertime shows agreement in the daily maxima HO2NO2 mixing ratio, but a significant difference os several hours in the timing of the observed maxima. Observations of vertical gradients suggest that the ground snow surface potentially serves as both a net sink and source of HO2NO2 depending on time of day. Sensitivity tests using a chemical box model indicate that the lifetime of HO2NO2 with respect to deposition has a non-negligible impact on ozone production rates on the order of 10%.
Water soluble aerosols and gases at a UK background site – Part 1: Controls of PM2.5 and PM10 aerosol composition
Authors: Twigg M. M. , Di Marco C. F. , Leeson S. , van Dijk N. , Jones M. R. , Leith I. D. , Morrison E. , Coyle M. , Proost R. , Peeters A. N. M. , Lemon E. , Frelink T. , Braban C. F. , Nemitz E. , Cape J. N.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. There is limited availability of long-term, high temporal resolution, chemically speciated aerosol measurements, which can lead to further insight into the health and environmental impacts of particulate matter. The Monitor for AeRosols and Gases (MARGA, Applikon B.V., NL) allows characterisation of the inorganic components of PM10 and PM2.5 (NH4+, NO3−, SO42−, Cl−, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) and inorganic reactive gases (NH3, SO2, HCl, HONO and HNO3) at hourly resolution. The following study presents 6.5 years (June 2006 to December 2012) of quasi-continuous observations of PM2.5 and PM10 using the MARGA at the UK EMEP "Supersite", Auchencorth Moss, SE Scotland. Auchencorth Moss was found to be representative of a remote European site with average total water soluble inorganic mass of PM2.5 of 3.82 μg m−3. Anthropogenically derived secondary inorganic aerosols (sum of NH4+, NO3− and nss-SO42−), were the dominating species (63%) of PM2.5. In terms of equivalent concentrations, NH4+ provided the single largest contribution to PM2.5 fraction in all seasons. Sea salt, was the main component (73%) of the PMcoarse fraction (PM10–PM2.5), though NO3− was also found to make a relatively large contribution to the measured mass (17%) as providing evidence of considerable processing of sea salt in the coarse mode. There was on occasions evidence of aerosol from combustion events being transported to the site in 2012 as high K+ concentrations (deviating from the known ratio in sea salt) coincided with increases in black carbon at the site. Pollution events in PM10 (defined as concentrations > 12 μg m−3) were on average dominated by NH4+ and NO3−, where as smaller loadings at the site tended to be dominated by sea salt. As with other Western European sites, the charge balance of the inorganic components resolved were biased towards cations, suggesting the aerosol was basic or more likely, that organic acids contributed to the charge balance. This study demonstrates the UK background atmospheric composition is primarily driven by meteorology with sea salt dominating air masses from the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic, whereas secondary inorganic aerosols tended to dominate air masses from continental Europe.
Impacts of cloud heterogeneities on cirrus optical properties retrieved from space-based thermal infrared radiometry
Authors: Fauchez T. , Dubuisson P. , Cornet C. , Szczap F. , Garnier A. , Pelon J. , Meyer K.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. This paper presents a study, based on simulations, of the impact of cirrus cloud heterogeneities on the retrieval of cloud parameters (optical thickness and effective diameter) for the Imaging Infrared Radiometer (IIR) on board CALIPSO. Cirrus clouds are generated by the stochastic model 3DCLOUD for two different cloud fields and for several averaged cloud parameters. One cloud field is obtained from a cirrus observed on 25 May 2007 during the airborne campaign CIRCLE-2 and the other is a cirrus uncinus. The radiative transfer is simulated with the 3DMCPOL code. To assess the errors due to cloud heterogeneities, two related retrieval algorithms are used: (i) the split-window technique to retrieve the ice crystal effective diameter and (ii) an algorithm similar to the IIR operational algorithm to retrieve the effective emissivity and the effective optical thickness. Differences between input parameters and retrieved parameters are compared as a function of different cloud properties such as the mean optical thickness, the heterogeneity parameter and the effective diameter. The optical thickness heterogeneity for each 1 km × 1 km observation pixel is represented by the optical thickness standard deviation computed using 100 m × 100 m subpixels. We show that optical thickness heterogeneity may have a strong impact on the retrieved parameters, mainly due to the plane-parallel approximation (PPA assumption). In particular, for cirrus clouds with ice crystal diameter of approximately 10 μm, the averaged error on the retrieved effective diameter and optical thickness is about 2.5 μm (~ 25%) and −0.20 (~ 12%), respectively. Then, these biases decrease with increasing effective size due to a decrease of the cloud absorption and, thus, the PPA bias. Cloud horizontal heterogeneity effects are greater than other possible sources of retrieval errors such as those due to cloud vertical heterogeneity impact, surface temperature or atmospheric temperature profile uncertainty and IIR retrieval uncertainty. Cloud horizontal heterogeneity effects are larger than the IIR retrieval uncertainty if the standard deviation of the optical thickness, inside the observation pixel, is greater than 1.