Pressure independence of granular flow through an aperture

International audienceWe experimentally demonstrate that the flow rate of granular material through an aperture is controlled by the exit velocity imposed to the particles and not by the pressure at the base, contrary to what is often assumed in previous works. This result is achieved by studying the discharge process of a dense packing of monosized disks through an orifice. The flow is driven by a conveyor belt. This two-dimensional horizontal setup allows to uncouple pressure and velocity and, therefore, to independently control the velocity at which the disks escape the horizontal silo and the pressure in the vicinity of the aperture. The flow rate is found to be directly proportional to the belt velocity, independent of the amount of disks in the container and, thus, independent of the pressure in the outlet region. In addition, this specific experimental configuration makes it possible to get information on the system dynamics from a single image of the disks that rest on the conveyor belt after the discharge

Granular flow through an aperture: Pressure and flow rate are independent

We simultaneously measure the flow rate and the normal force on the base, near the outlet, during the discharge through an orifice of a dense packing of monosized disks driven by a conveyor belt. We find that the normal force on the base decreases even when a constant flow rate is measured. In addition, we show, by changing the mass of the disks, that pressure can be changed while the flow rate remains constant. Conversely, we are able, by changing the belt velocity, to set different flow rates for the same pressure. The experiment confirms that, contrary to what has been implicitly assumed in numerous works, the flow rate through an aperture is not controlled by the pressure in the outlet region.Fil: Aguirre, Maria Alejandra. Franco-Argentinian International Associated Laboratory in the Physics and Mechanics of Fluids; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Física. Grupo de Medios Porosos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Grande, Juan Gabriel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Física. Grupo de Medios Porosos; Argentina. Franco-Argentinian International Associated Laboratory in the Physics and Mechanics of Fluids; ArgentinaFil: Calvo, Adriana. Franco-Argentinian International Associated Laboratory in the Physics and Mechanics of Fluids; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Física. Grupo de Medios Porosos; ArgentinaFil: Pugnaloni, Luis Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física de Líquidos y Sistemas Biológicos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física de Líquidos y Sistemas Biológicos; ArgentinaFil: Géminard, Jean-Christophe. Universidad de Lyon 3; Franci

Treatment of oral myiasis in a patient with implant-supported fixed prosthesis

Oral myiasis is a rare parasitic disease that requires immediate treatment once diagnosed. However, no standard treatment protocol can be found in the literature. Through a clinical-surgical report, we present the case of an 82-year-old man with lesions extending through the vestibule and alveolar ridge of the maxilla on both sides, in addition to occupying a large part of the palate, with a considerable number of larvae. The patient was initially treated with a single dose of systemic ivermectin (6 mg orally) and topical application of a tampon soaked in ether. The larvae were then surgically removed and debridement of the wound was performed. A crushed tablet of ivermectin 6 mg was applied topically for 2 days, the remaining larvae were again mechanically removed, and the patient received intravenous antimicrobial therapy. Treatment with systemic and topical ivermectin combined with antibiotic therapy and debridement proved to be effective in treating oral myiasis

Editorial

Adriana Benevides Soares, Alexandra Cleopatre Tsallis, Ana Maria Lopez Calvo de Feijoo, Deise Mancebo, Deise Maria Fernandes Mendes, Rita Maria Manso de Barro

Randomized trial of physiotherapy and hypertonic saline techniques for sputum induction in asthmatic children and adolescents

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the efficiency of physiotherapy techniques in sputum induction and in the evaluation of pulmonary inflammation in asthmatic children and adolescents. Although hypertonic saline (HS) is widely used for sputum induction (SI), specific techniques and maneuvers of physiotherapy (P) may facilitate the collection of mucus in some asthmatic children and adolescents. METHODS: A randomized crossover study was performed in patients with well-controlled asthma, and 90 sputum samples were collected. Children and adolescents were assessed using spirometry and randomized at entry into one of three sputum induction techniques: (i) 3% hypertonic saline – HS technique; (ii) physiotherapy (oscillatory positive expiratory pressure, forced expiration, and acceleration of expiratory flow) – P technique; and (iii) hypertonic saline + physiotherapy – HSP technique. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03136042. RESULTS: The total cells (mL) and the percentage (%) of differential inflammatory cells were similar in all techniques. The sputum weight (g) in the HSP technique was significantly higher than that in the HS technique. In all techniques, the percentage of viable cells was 450%, and there was no difference between the HS and P techniques. Moreover, sputum induction did not cause any alterations in the pulmonary function of patients. CONCLUSION: The physiotherapy sputum collection technique was effective in obtaining viable cells from mucus samples and yielded the same amount of sputum as the gold standard technique (hypertonic saline). In addition, the physiotherapy maneuvers were both safe and useful for sputum induction in asthmatic children and adolescents with well-controlled asthma

Increase in age is associated with worse outcomes in alveolar bone grafting in patients with bilateral complete cleft palate

Abstract: This prospective study aimed at evaluating the surgical outcomes of alveolar bone grafting (ABG) in subjects with bilateral cleft lip and palate treated at the Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of São Paulo, Bauru, Brazil, by means of cone-beam computed tomography. Twenty-five patients with bilateral complete cleft lip and palate, resulting in 50 clefts, were analyzed. Subjects were divided into 2 groups according to the dentition status at the time of surgery: (1) SABG group: subjects with mixed dentition operated on before or immediately after eruption of the permanent canine (10–13 years); (2) TABG group: subjects with permanent dentition (15–23 years). Cone-beam computed tomography analysis was performed in the buccal, intermediate, and palatal views, 2 and 6 to 12 months postoperatively. In the SABG group, 96% of the grafts were classified as successful, and no failure cases were observed. In the TABG group, successful cases decreased to 65%, and failures were seen in 27% of the cleft sites. In both postoperative periods, significantly better outcomes (lower mean scores) were observed for the SABG group in all the cone-beam computed tomography views (P < 0.05). Results show that the timing of surgery is an important factor in determining the outcomes of ABG in patients with bilateral cleft lip and palate, with increasing age being associated with the worse outcomes.CAPESPRODO

Altered structural brain asymmetry in autism spectrum disorder in a study of 54 datasets

Altered structural brain asymmetry in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been reported. However, findings have been inconsistent, likely due to limited sample sizes. Here we investigated 1,774 individuals with ASD and 1,809 controls, from 54 independent data sets of the ENIGMA consortium. ASD was significantly associated with alterations of cortical thickness asymmetry in mostly medial frontal, orbitofrontal, cingulate and inferior temporal areas, and also with asymmetry of orbitofrontal surface area. These differences generally involved reduced asymmetry in individuals with ASD compared to controls. Furthermore, putamen volume asymmetry was significantly increased in ASD. The largest case-control effect size was Cohen's d = -0.13, for asymmetry of superior frontal cortical thickness. Most effects did not depend on age, sex, IQ, severity or medication use. Altered lateralized neurodevelopment may therefore be a feature of ASD, affecting widespread brain regions with diverse functions. Large-scale analysis was necessary to quantify subtle alterations of brain structural asymmetry in ASD

JAK1/2 inhibition with baricitinib in the treatment of autoinflammatory interferonopathies

BACKGROUND. Monogenic IFN-mediated autoinflammatory diseases present in infancy with systemic inflammation, an IFN response gene signature, inflammatory organ damage, and high mortality. We used the JAK inhibitor baricitinib, with IFN-blocking activity in vitro, to ameliorate disease. METHODS. Between October 2011 and February 2017, 10 patients with CANDLE (chronic atypical neutrophilic dermatosis with lipodystrophy and elevated temperatures), 4 patients with SAVI (stimulator of IFN genes-associated [STING-associated] vasculopathy with onset in infancy), and 4 patients with other interferonopathies were enrolled in an expanded access program. The patients underwent dose escalation, and the benefit was assessed by reductions in daily disease symptoms and corticosteroid requirement. Quality of life, organ inflammation, changes in IFN-induced biomarkers, and safety were longitudinally assessed. RESULTS. Eighteen patients were treated for a mean duration of 3.0 years (1.5-4.9 years). The median daily symptom score decreased from 1.3 (interquartile range [IQR], 0.93-1.78) to 0.25 (IQR, 0.1-0.63) (P < 0.0001). In 14 patients receiving corticosteroids at baseline, daily prednisone doses decreased from 0.44 mg/kg/day (IQR, 0.31-1.09) to 0.11 mg/kg/day (IQR, 0.02-0.24) (P < 0.01), and 5 of 10 patients with CANDLE achieved lasting clinical remission. The patients' quality of life and height and bone mineral density Z-scores significantly improved, and their IFN biomarkers decreased. Three patients, two of whom had genetically undefined conditions, discontinued treatment because of lack of efficacy, and one CANDLE patient discontinued treatment because of BK viremia and azotemia. The most common adverse events were upper respiratory infections, gastroenteritis, and BK viruria and viremia. CONCLUSION. Upon baricitinib treatment, clinical manifestations and inflammatory and IFN biomarkers improved in patients with the monogenic interferonopathies CANDLE, SAVI, and other interferonopathies. Monitoring safety and efficacy is important in benefit-risk assessment