Pharmacological Treatment of Postprandial Reductions in Blood Pressure : A Systematic Review

Funded by The Dunhill Medical Trust. Grant Number: RTF14/0110Peer reviewedPostprin

PPH dendrimers grafted on silica nanoparticles: surface chemistry, characterization, silver colloids hosting and antibacterial activity

Polyphosphorhydrazone (PPH) dendrimers have been grafted on silica nanoparticles, and the surface functions of the dendrimers have been derivatized to phosphonates with lateral poly(ethyleneglycol) (PEG) chains. All materials have been thoroughly characterized by MAS NMR, FT-IR, electron microscopy, TGA and elemental analysis. These materials successfully hosted silver and silver oxide nanoparticles. The resulting composites exhibit antibacterial activity

Complexification of Gauge Theories

For the case of a first-class constrained system with an equivariant momentum map, we study the conditions under which the double process of reducing to the constraint surface and dividing out by the group of gauge transformations $G$ is equivalent to the single process of dividing out the initial phase space by the complexification $G_C$ of $G$. For the particular case of a phase space action that is the lift of a configuration space action, conditions are found under which, in finite dimensions, the physical phase space of a gauge system with first-class constraints is diffeomorphic to a manifold imbedded in the physical configuration space of the complexified gauge system. Similar conditions are shown to hold in the infinite-dimensional example of Yang-Mills theories. As a physical application we discuss the adequateness of using holomorphic Wilson loop variables as (generalized) global coordinates on the physical phase space of Yang-Mills theory.Comment: 25pp., LaTeX, Syracuse SU-GP-93/6-2, Lisbon DF/IST 6.9

The preparation and characterisation of monomeric and linked metal carbonyl clusters containing the closo-Si2Co4 pseudo-octahedral core

PhSiH3 reacts with [Co₄(CO)₁₂] at 50 °C in hydrocarbon solvents to give [(µ₄-SiPh)₂Co₄(CO)₁₁], 2c, shown by an X-ray crystal structure determination to have a pseudo-octahedral Si₂Co₄ core. Substituted aryl-silanes behaved similarly. Mixtures of PhSiH₃, H₃SiC₆H₄SiH₃ and [Co₄(CO)₁₂] in a ca. 2 1 2 ratio gave the dimeric cluster [{Co₄(µ₄-SiPh)(CO)₁₁Si}₂C₆H₄], 3a, which has the two Si₂Co₄ cores linked by a C₆H₄ group to give a rigid molecule which an X-ray structure analysis shows to be over 23 Å long. Related dimers linked by –(CH₂)₈– groups were isolated from mixtures of PhSiH₃, α ,ω-(H₃Si)₂(CH₂)₈ and [Co₄(CO)₁₂]. Electrochemical studies show the two cluster units in 3a do not interact electronically

Endovascular management of massive post-partum haemorrhage in abnormal placental implantation deliveries

Objectives: To retrospectively evaluate safety and efficacy of pelvic artery embolisation (PAE) in post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) in abnormal placental implantation (API) deliveries. Methods: From January 2009 to November 2013, 12 patients with API and intractable intraoperative PPH underwent PAE after caesarean delivery to control a haemorrhage (in four of these cases after hysterectomy). Arterial access was obtained prior to the delivery; PAE was performed in the obstetrics operating room by an interventional radiologist that was present with an interventional radiology (IR) team during the delivery. Results: PAE was successful in preventing bleeding and avoid hysterectomy in four cases (group A). Uterine atony and disseminated intravascular coagulation caused failure of PAE requiring hysterectomy in four patients (group B). PAE prevented bleeding post-hysterectomy in the remaining four cases (group C). Technical success (cessation of contrast extravasation on angiography or occlusion of the selected artery) was 100 %. Maternal and foetal mortality and morbidity were 0 %. Conclusions: PAE is a minimal invasive technique that may help to prevent hysterectomy and control PPH in API pregnancies without complications. Embolisation should be performed on an emergency basis. For such cases, an IR team on standby in the obstetrics theatre may be useful to prevent hysterectomy, blood loss and limit morbidity. Key Points: • Endovascular treatment is a validated technique in post-partum haemorrhage. • Abnormal placental implantation is a risk factor for post-partum haemorrhage. • We propose an interventional radiologist standby in the delivery room. © 2015, European Society of Radiology

Diagnosis and management of postpartum hemorrhage and intrapartum asphyxia in a quality improvement initiative using nurse-mentoring and simulation in Bihar, India.

BackgroundIn the state of Bihar, India a multi-faceted quality improvement nurse-mentoring program was implemented to improve provider skills in normal and complicated deliveries. The objective of this analysis was to examine changes in diagnosis and management of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) of the mother and intrapartum asphyxia of the infant in primary care facilities in Bihar, during the program.MethodsDuring the program, mentor pairs visited each facility for one week, covering four facilities over a four-week period and returned for subsequent week-long visits once every month for seven to nine consecutive months. Between- and within-facility comparisons were made using a quasi-experimental and a longitudinal design over time, respectively, to measure change due to the intervention. The proportions of PPH and intrapartum asphyxia among all births as well as the proportions of PPH and intrapartum asphyxia cases that were effectively managed were examined. Zero-inflated negative binomial models and marginal structural methodology were used to assess change in diagnosis and management of complications after accounting for clustering of deliveries within facilities as well as time varying confounding.ResultsThis analysis included 55,938 deliveries from 320 facilities. About 2% of all deliveries, were complicated with PPH and 3% with intrapartum asphyxia. Between-facility comparisons across phases demonstrated diagnosis was always higher in the final week of intervention (PPH: 2.5-5.4%, intrapartum asphyxia: 4.2-5.6%) relative to the first week (PPH: 1.2-2.1%, intrapartum asphyxia: 0.7-3.3%). Within-facility comparisons showed PPH diagnosis increased from week 1 through 5 (from 1.6% to 4.4%), after which it decreased through week 7 (3.1%). A similar trend was observed for intrapartum asphyxia. For both outcomes, the proportion of diagnosed cases where selected evidence-based practices were used for management either remained stable or increased over time.ConclusionsThe nurse-mentoring program appears to have built providers' capacity to identify PPH and intrapartum asphyxia cases but diagnosis levels are still not on par with levels observed in Southeast Asia and globally

AD Mensae: a dwarf nova in the period gap

AD Men was classified as a probable long-period dwarf nova based on its long-term variability. Recent spectroscopic data instead suggested a short-period system. With the here presented observations we aim at clarifying its nature. Time--resolved photometry and spectroscopy has been used to get information on the orbital period of this system. The light curve shows the typical flickering and a clear hump--like periodic modulation with an average amplitude of 0.3mag and a period of P=2.20(02)h. The radial velocity measurements of the Halpha emission line confirm this value as the orbital period. AD Men is thus located at the lower end of, but clearly inside, the gap of the period distribution of cataclysmic variables, making it one of only 11 dwarf novae in this important period range.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, accepted by A&