Inhibition of Bacterial Adherence on the Surface of Stents and Bacterial Growth in Bile by Bismuth Dimercaprol

Bacterial infection and biofilm formation on the surface of biliary stents is believed to be one of the main factors in stent occlusion. This study explored the role of the new reagent, bismuth dimercaprol, in preventing bacterial adherence and bacterial biofilm formation on the surface of biliary stents. Sterile porcine bile preparations, infected separately with Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter , and Enterococcus , were used as the perfusion media in an in vitro perfusion system. The bacterial growth in the media and the bacterial adherence on the surface of stents were tested when different concentrations of bismuth dimercaprol were used in the perfusion media. BisBAL (5 μ M ) did not inhibit the growth of any of the tested bacterial species. It did, however, significantly decrease the amount of bacteria adhering to the surface of stents for all bacterial strains except Escherichia coli . Bismuth dimercaprol (20 μ M ) significantly inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae , and Enterobacter and, thereby, significantly decreased the amount of these bacteria adhering to the surface of stents. The unique bactericidal and anitbiofilm activities of bismuth thiols might contribute to delaying the process of biliary stent occlusion if the effective concentrations of bismuth thiols could be delivered to the target sites. The feasibility of this application of bismuth thiols deserves further investigation.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44439/1/10620_2005_Article_2702.pd

THE NEUROENDOCRINE CONTROL OF GASTROINTESTINAL MOTOR-ACTIVITY

Here we describe interactions between peptide hormones and the enteric, autonomic and central innervation, and to the regulation of some major digestive events. The neuronal functions, the variety of neurochemically distinct neurons and some recent results on chemical marker combinations in the neurons are mentioned. A classification of the substances potentially acting as neurotransmitters or neuromodulators of gut motility is also reported. The major motor events taken into account include the migrating motor complex, the peristaltic reflex. the gastric emptying and the gallbladder/sphincter of Oddi relationships. The demonstration that numerous peptides may be detected in. and secreted by, the neurons has opened a fascinating area of study. Various difficulties hampering the comprehension of modalities according to which gastrointestinal motility is regulated, are discussed. Experimental evidence however, has to be considered cautiously. Expressions such as 'the peptidergic control of motility' may suggest that these peptides are the primary subjects in the strategy leading to the motor events, rather than the transmitters of impulses whose strategy is decided at higher levels. The autonomy of the peripheral regulatory system is apparent in certain conditions and has an important supplementary value. In general. however, the neuroendocrine regulation remains a global phenomenon testifying the unity of the living organism

Beyond 5G Localization at mmWaves in 3GPP Urban Scenarios with Blockage Intelligence

Accurate positional information is crucial for numerous emerging applications in fifth generation (5G) and beyond wireless ecosystems. However, the localization requirements defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) are particularly challenging to achieve, especially in complex environments such as urban scenarios, due to non-line-of-sight conditions, outdoor-to-indoor penetration loss, and multipath propagation. Such effects are detrimental to localization accuracy, especially at mmWaves. This paper introduces the concept of blockage intelligence (BI) to provide a probabilistic representation of wireless propagation conditions. Such representation is then exploited in soft information (SI)-based localization to overcome the limitations of conventional localization approaches. Localization case studies are presented according to the 3GPP-standardized urban microcell (UMi) scenario at mmWaves with fully 3GPP-compliant simulations. Results show that BI together with SI-based localization is able to provide a significant performance gain with respect to existing techniques in 5G and beyond wireless networks

Blockage Intelligence in Complex Environments for Beyond 5G Localization

Location awareness is vital for several applications in wireless ecosystems, including fifth generation (5G) and beyond networks defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). However, complex wireless environments such as indoor factories are characterized by harsh multipath propagation and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions, which are detrimental to localization accuracy. This paper introduces the concept of blockage intelligence (BI) to provide a probabilistic description of wireless propagation conditions. Then, it discusses its integration in both conventional and soft information (SI)-based localization algorithms. Case studies are presented in the 3GPP indoor factory scenario with various gNodeBs (gNBs) deployments. Results show that BI together with SI-based localization significantly outperforms existing localization techniques. The rich information provided by BI is vital to perform accurate localization in 5G and beyond networks operating in complex wireless environments

Blood pH: a test for assessment of severity in proctocolitis.

Acid base balance was studied in 58 patients with active idiopathic proctocolitis; the condition of 10 of them was complicated by toxic megacolon. Arterial blood pH increased progressively with increased severity of the colitis and as the lesions became more widespread. Statistically significant differences were observed in pH values between the mild/moderate and severe forms and between the severe and complicated forms ('toxic megacolon'). A linear correlation was found between pH and the amount of intestinal gas, pulse rate, and plasma albumin