Using thermochromism to simulate blood oxygenation in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Introduction: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) training programs employ real ECMO components, causing them to be extremely expensive while offering little realism in terms of blood oxygenation and pressure. To overcome those limitations, we are developing a standalone modular ECMO simulator that reproduces ECMO’s visual, audio and haptic cues using affordable mechanisms. We present a central component of this simulator, capable of visually reproducing blood oxygenation color change using thermochromism. Methods: Our simulated ECMO circuit consists of two physically distant modules, responsible for adding and withdrawing heat from a thermochromic fluid. This manipulation of heat creates a temperature difference between the fluid in the drainage line and the fluid in the return line of the circuit and, hence, a color difference. Results: Thermochromic ink mixed with concentrated dyes was used to create a recipe for a realistic and affordable blood-colored fluid. The implemented “ECMO circuit” reproduced blood’s oxygenation and deoxygenation color difference or lack thereof. The heat control circuit costs 300 USD to build and the thermochromic fluid costs 40 USD/L. During a ten-hour in situ demonstration, nineteen ECMO specialists rated the fidelity of the oxygenated and deoxygenated “blood” and the color contrast between them as highly realistic. Conclusions: Using low-cost yet high-fidelity simulation mechanisms, we implemented the central subsystem of our modular ECMO simulator, which creates the look and feel of an ECMO circuit without using an actual one.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Standarisasi Parameter Spesifik Ekstrak Etanol Daun Jarak Pagar (Jatropha Curcas L) sebagai Vasorelaxan

Jarak pagar (Jatropha curcas L.) is traditionally used as a medicinal plant and can be used scientifically to treat various diseases based on the scientific results of herbal medicine. This study aims to prove that the ethanol extract of Jarak pagar leaves (Jatropha curcas L.) meets the specific parameters for extract standardization. The ethanol extract of Jarak pagar (Jatropha curcas L.) leaves was obtained by maceration method, and then the extract was observed for specific parameters, which included an organoleptic test, identification of chemical content, determination of water-soluble juice content, and ethanol-soluble juice content, as well as other tests to see the activity of Jatropha curcas as a vasorelaxant using experimental methods. The results and data of specific parameter characteristics show that the extract made has met the requirements of Indonesian Medical Materials, which means that the ethanol extract of Jatropha curcas leaves made has met the standards, and based on activity testing, it is known that Jarak pagar leaves (Jatropha curcas L.) have the same activity as Vasorelaxan

PEMBERDAYAAN MASYARAKAT MELALUI PEMBUATAN BRIKET PALAPA (CANGKANG PALA DAN BATOK KELAPA) DI KELURAHAN SULAMADAHA, KOTA TERNATE

Melimpahnya keanekaragaman hayati yang dimiliki Maluku Utara tentu menjadi dampak yang baik bagi berlangsungnya kehidupan masyarakatnya. Namun, jika keanekaragaman tersebut tidak dikelola dengan bijak, maka dapat menimbulkan dampak negatif di sisi lainnya. Maluku Utara memiliki banyak komoditas ekspor yang menjanjikan, di antaranya kopra dan pala. Pala masuk dalam lima besar komoditas ekspor dan kopra menjadi komoditas ekspor terbesar di Maluku Utara. Besarnya nilai ekspor kedua komoditas tersebut menunjukkan bahwa tidak sedikit limbah keras organik yang dihasilkan per tahunnya. Jika tidak tertangani dengan baik, maka limbah tersebut akan menyebabkan masalah pencemaran lingkungan yang nantinya akan memicu munculnya masalah-masalah lainnya, salah satunya masalah kesehatan. Briket merupakan salah satu solusi untuk meminimalisir penumpukan limbah keras organik. Olehnya itu, kegiatan pengabdian ini bertujuan untuk memberikan edukasi kepada masyarakat Kelurahan Sulamadaha Kota Ternate dalam memanfaatkan limbah batok kelapa dan cangkang pala menjadi briket. Tahapan dalam pelaksanaan kegiatan ini terdiri dari penentuan lokasi kegiatan, observasi lokasi kegiatan, perencanaan program, penyusunan materi, pelaksanaan kegiatan, dan evaluasi. Pelaksanaan kegiatan dilakukan dengan cara penyuluhan (ceramah dan diskusi) dan pelatihan (praktik secara langsung). Kegiatan dievaluasi menggunakan kuesioner post test. Hasil post test menunjukkan bahwa pemahaman masyarakat terkait materi penyuluhan dengan nilai cukup sebanyak 4 %, baik sebanyak 23 %, dan baik sekali sebanyak 73 %. Nilai rata-rata post test yang diperoleh 93,07 dengan nilai terendah 40 dan nilai tertinggi 100. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa penyampaian materi penyuluhan Briket Palapa tersampaikan dengan baik dan jelas. Hal ini juga didukung dengan antusiasme dan partisipasi yang sangat baik dari masyarakat

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation simulation-based training: methods, drawbacks and a novel solution

Introduction: Patients under the error-prone and complication-burdened extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are looked after by a highly trained, multidisciplinary team. Simulation-based training (SBT) affords ECMO centers the opportunity to equip practitioners with the technical dexterity required to manage emergencies. The aim of this article is to review ECMO SBT activities and technology followed by a novel solution to current challenges. ECMO simulation: The commonly-used simulation approach is easy-to-build as it requires a functioning ECMO machine and an altered circuit. Complications are simulated through manual circuit manipulations. However, scenario diversity is limited and often lacks physiological and/or mechanical authenticity. It is also expensive to continuously operate due to the consumption of highly specialized equipment. Technological aid: Commercial extensions can be added to enable remote control and to automate circuit manipulation, but do not improve on the realism or cost-effectiveness. A modular ECMO simulator: To address those drawbacks, we are developing a standalone modular ECMO simulator that employs affordable technology for high-fidelity simulation.Peer reviewe

Investigating the simultaneous removal of hydrocarbons and heavy metals by highly adapted Bacillus and Pseudomonas strains

The status, content and availability of heavy metals and hydrocarbons are highly affected by weathering processes – particularly – in areas characterized by harsh conditions. Their concomitant removal by highly adapted strains of Bacillus and Pseudomonas to weathered oil components was investigated. Indeed, weathered soil collected from Dukhan dumpsite was shown to contain 14 heavy metals with concentrations exceeding the US-EPA limits. Their distribution in such soil was not affected by the soil organics, which is important for the remediation processes. Most of them were strongly bonded to the iron–manganese oxide and the residual fractions, justifying their bioremediation. This study used 18 adapted bacterial strains isolated from extremely weathered oily soils, including the studied soil, all shown tolerant up to 5 mM and above of heavy metals. 4 Bacillus and 3 Pseudomonas strains exhibited the capability to remove 70%–80% of the heavy metals. Concomitantly, they removed up to 73% of the diesel-range organics. Using the PCA methodology with multivariate (bacterial type and adaptation and heavy metals properties), the efficiency of heavy metals removal was shown not related to the adapted bacteria, but to the heavy metal status. This means that the adaptation of these bacterial strains was at the level of the cells’ structure and/or their exopolymeric substances which immobilize the heavy metals and reduce their toxicity allowing their growth and removing hydrocarbons. It is then, a double-adaptation route, leading to concomitant removal of organics and heavy metals, which is of high importance from the practical point of view

Roasted-modified Date Pits In Remediation Of Bromide Ions From Desalinated Water: Kinetic Studies

Disinfection of drinking water is one of the extreme public health activities in Qatar. Chlorination, ozonation, ultra-violet, chloramination, and others are the most important treatment processes used and they can cause the formation of toxic by-products. The existence of bromide (Br-), for example, in water sources might cause in formation of brominated toxic by-products. Up-to-date drinking water treatment methodologies are challenged to successfully eliminate Br- before final consumption. Remediation onto activated carbons has a number of restrictions. Date pits are suitable as raw remediating adsorbent for preparing various modified adsorbents, because particular surface functional groups and the micro-pore structures can be attained by active modifications. The overall objective of this study was to develop an economical and environmentally acceptable process to safely eliminate the levels of Br- from desalinated water. Roasted date pits (RODPs) and activated charcoal (AC) (used as a control) were crushed and sieved with four different particles size ranges. The percentage of Br- removal was also studied under different experimental conditions such as pH, sorbent mass and initial concentration. In addition, surface characterization was also investigated. Experimental date analyses were investigated using different isotherm and kinetic sorption models. The modification of the date pits surface enhanced the Br- removal capacity at high initial concentration of bromide (200 ppm) by 27%. Using scanning electron microscope (SEM), the date pits surface images showed a different in pore sizes upon modification. Removal capacity of RODPs reached 39% at pH 4. In this study the heterogeneity of adsorbing mechanisms and the fitting with pseudo second order model and inter particulate diffusion models were concluded, and more than 35% of Br- removal efficiency was achieved within the RODPs at the first hour of contact time. The adsorption Br- onto RODPs was not fitted well with the pseudo-first order model. It was found that the kinetics of Br- adsorption was followed the pseudo-second order. It was also observed fluctuations in the removal efficiency for smaller particle sizes; indicating heterogeneity of adsorption/desorption and potential chemical bindings, this particular behaviour was not observed and investigated elsewhere in the literature (Figure below). The surface of RODPs contains oxygen functional groups such hydroxyl; hence the presence of such functional groups on the surface of date pits considerably influences on the adsorption mechanism of organic and inorganic compounds on the RODP. Economically RODPs are successfully used to remove Br-, comparing to AC. However, both adsorbents have nearly the same removal efficiency after one hour contact time. Apparently, the removal efficiency of both systems was quite significant. This may cover the way for the cheap and widely available date pits to be used as an adsorbent in water purification process.qscienc

Mediation of carbonate minerals formation by aerobic bacterial strains isolated from Dohat Faishakh Sabkha in Qatar

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is increasingly released to the environment as a result of the extensive use of various industrial facilities. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report (2015), cumulative emissions of CO2 largely determine global mean surface warming by the late 21st century and beyond". Different technologies can be applied for capturing and storing CO2 such as sequestration and carbonate mineral storage. Biominerals are of great importance due to their huge impact on the global biogeochemical cycle. Carbonates such as limestone and dolomite are important carbon reservoirs. Calcium carbonate formation and its burial in marine sediments account for approximately 80% of total carbon removal from the Earth's surface by abiotic and biotic precipitation. The biotic precipitation of calcium carbonates, is performed by various organisms, including bacteria, and has been widely reported and discussed in the literature, while, the formation of high-magnesium calcites is extremely challenging, due to the high level of hydration of Mg2+ ions, which promote the formation of Mg-free aragonite, rather than calcite. The dynamic evaporitic systems characteristic of sabkhas are crucial for the precipitation of minerals, and a role for microorganisms in sabkhas in the process of mineralization has been proposed. In this study the Dohat Faishakh Sabkha in Qatar was investigated for evidenc of the role of aerobic bacteria in mediating the formation of high magnesium carbonates and dolomite, two minerals that commonly occur in the sabkha sediments. 29 strains of aerobic microbes isolated from the sabkha and identified by 16S rDNA sequencing as belonging to the genera Bacillus, Salinivibrio, Staphylococcus and, primarily, Virgibacillus. All strains examined caused the pH of the artificial growth medium to increase from 7 to 8.5; however, not all were capable of mediating mineral formation. Only Salinivibrio and Virgibacillus spp. isolates mediated the formation of detectable solid phases within the agar plates. Light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses indicate that the solid phase produced in the presence of these bacterial strains is MgCa(CO3)2 with a MgCO3 mol% varying from 0% to 40%. The results of these laboratory experiments suggested that, in the Dohat Faishakh Sabkha, aerobic bacteria may contribute in the formation o very high Mg calcite, a mineral that is considered the precursor of ordered dolomite.qscienc

Microbial Mats from the Khor Al-Adaid Sabkha, Qatar: Morphotypes and Association with Authigenic Minerals

The sabkhas (i.e., salt flats) of Qatar are among the rare places on Earth where carbonate and sulfate minerals similar to those constituting economically important hydrocarbon reservoirs are still forming today, under the arid conditions that characterize the coastline of the country. Since the 1960's, the sabkhas of Qatar have been studied with great interest as a modern analogue for ancient sedimentary sequences (e.g., Wells, 1962; Illing & Taylor, 1995; Alsharhan & Kendall, 2003). The results of these studies provided important insights for formulating stratigraphic models of subsurface hydrocarbon reservoirs. Notable examples of gas and oil reservoirs that formed in arid, evaporitic environments include the Permo-Triassic Khuff (which is estimated to contain about 15-20% of the world's gas reserves and is of fundamental importance for the economy of Qatar), the Jurassic Arab formations, and the Triassic Kurra Chine, all of the Middle East, and the Permian Zechstein of Northern Europe. Although extremely valuable, most of these early studies were based on purely physical and chemical approaches, which may have not fully captured the complexity of the mineralization processes occurring in the sabkha environment. Indeed, research conducted in more recent years has shown that microorganisms play an important and, as yet, poorly understood role for the mineralization processes occurring in these evaporitic environments (Bontognali et al., 2010; Bontognali et al., 2012; Bontognali et al., 2014; Brauchli et al., 2015; Paulo & Dittrich, 2013; Strohmenger et al., 2011). Here we present the results of a field campaign conducted in the Khor Al-Adaid sabkha, which is located in the southeast of Qatar, in a large tidal embayment composed of two shallow inland lagoons. The main goal of the field campaign was to identify regions of the intertidal zone that are particularly rich in microbial mats, and that represent ideal sites at which to study microbe-mineral interactions. Three sites of interest have been defined.qscienc

Sleep and energy intake in early childhood

Background And Objectives: Shorter sleep is associated with higher weight in children, but little is known about the mechanisms. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that shorter sleep was associated with higher energy intake in early childhood. Methods: Participants were 1303 families from the Gemini twin birth cohort. Sleep duration was measured using the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire when the children were 16 months old. Total energy intake (kcal per day) and grams per day of fat, carbohydrate and protein were derived from 3-day diet diaries completed by parents when children were 21 months old. Results: Shorter nighttime sleep was associated with higher total energy intake (P for linear trend=0.005). Children sleeping <10 h consumed around 50 kcal per day more than those sleeping 11–<12 h a night (the optimal sleep duration for children of this age). Differences in energy intake were maintained after adjustment for confounders. As a percentage of total energy intake, there were no significant differences in macronutrient intake by sleep duration. The association between sleep and weight was not significant at this age (P=0.13). Conclusions: This study provides the first evidence that shorter nighttime sleep duration has a linear association with higher energy intake early in life. That the effect is observed before emergence of associations between sleep and weight indicates that differences in energy intake may be a mechanism through which sleep influences weight gain

Synergistic binding of transcription factors to cell-specific enhancers programs motor neuron identity

Efficient transcriptional programming promises to open new frontiers in regenerative medicine. However, mechanisms by which programming factors transform cell fate are unknown, preventing more rational selection of factors to generate desirable cell types. Three transcription factors, Ngn2, Isl1 and Lhx3, were sufficient to program rapidly and efficiently spinal motor neuron identity when expressed in differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells. Replacement of Lhx3 by Phox2a led to specification of cranial, rather than spinal, motor neurons. Chromatin immunoprecipitation–sequencing analysis of Isl1, Lhx3 and Phox2a binding sites revealed that the two cell fates were programmed by the recruitment of Isl1-Lhx3 and Isl1-Phox2a complexes to distinct genomic locations characterized by a unique grammar of homeodomain binding motifs. Our findings suggest that synergistic interactions among transcription factors determine the specificity of their recruitment to cell type–specific binding sites and illustrate how a single transcription factor can be repurposed to program different cell types.Project ALS FoundationNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant P01 NS055923