Comparison of gabapentin and ketotifen in treatment of uremic pruritus in hemodialysis patients

Objectives: Uremic pruritus is a common problem in hemodialysis patients. Several treatments have been used for decreasing itching in these patients. Gabapentin and ketotifen are two drugs used for treating uremic patients.The aim of this study was to compare gabapentin and ketotifen in treatment of uremic pruritus in hemodialysis patients. Methods: In this double-blind randomized clinical trial, 52 hemodialysis patients with uremic pruritus referred to 5azarTeaching Hospital in Gorgan in 2013 were studied. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups of 26 subjects (groups G and K). In group G, patients treated with gabapentin capsules 100 mg daily for 2 weeks, and in Group K, patients treated with ketotifen 1 mg twice daily for 2 weeks. Before and at the end of study, pruritus severity was determined based on Shiratori›s severity scores. Collected data were analyzed by SPSS-21 statistical software. Results: There was no significant different between two groups in the age and sex. After two weeks of treatment, severity of pruritus was significantly reduced in both groups (88.4 in group G vs. 76.9 in group K). Gabapentin compared with ketotifen had a better effect on improving itching in the age group of 30-60 years and in males. 5 patients (19.2) in both groups suffered from drowsiness and dizziness, but no serious side effects were observed. Conclusions: The results showed that gabapentin and ketotifen significantly improved pruritus in hemodialysis patients, and no significant difference was observed between two groups. © 2016, Professional Medical Publications. All rights reserved

Impact of creatinine clearance on helicobacter pylori eradication rate in patients with peptic ulcer disease

Introduction. Gastrointestinal complaints are common in patients with kidney failure. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of creatinine clearance on Helicobacter pylori (HP) eradication rate in patients with peptic ulcer disease. Materials and Methods. In this clinical trial, 132 patients with a range of kidney function (normal to end-stage renal disease) and peptic ulcer disease with HP infection were enrolled and divided into 5 groups by their creatinine clearance. For all patients, a 14-day standard regimen of triple therapy for peptic ulcer was started with omeprazole, 20 mg; clarithromycin, 500 mg; and amoxicillin, 1 g; twice per day. After 6 weeks, HP eradication rate were evaluated and compared between the groups with urea breath test. Results. The mean age of the participants was 44.84 ± 12.20 years and 68 (51.5%) were women. The five groups were not significantly different in terms of age, sex distribution, or body mass index. The results of urea breath test at 6 weeks were positive in 23 patients (17.4%). There was no significant difference in HP eradication rate (negative urea breath test) between the five groups. Conclusions. This study showed no association between the success rate of eradication of HP infection and kidney function. © 2015, Iranian Society of Nephrology. All rights reserved

A review on high stiffness aluminium-based composites and bimetallics

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) [grant number R33232

Formation of strength platform in cast Al–Si–Mg–Cu alloys

Over the past several decades, it was generally believed that the strength of the industrially widely used cast Al–Si–Mg–Cu alloys enhanced monotonously with increasing Cu content. However, in this study using cast Al9Si0.5MgxCu (x = 0,0.2,0.4,0.6,0.85,1.0,1.25, in wt.%) alloys under T6 heat-treated condition, it was found that the hardness and yield strength of the heat-treated alloys showed a platform in the composition range from 0.4 wt.% to 0.85 wt.% Cu, while still increased with increasing Cu content before and after the platform. With increasing Cu content, the β-Mg2Si intermetallic phase decreased and disappeared at 0.85 wt.% Cu, while the Q–Al5Cu2Mg8Si6 and θ–Al2Cu intermetallic phases increased in the as-cast alloys. After heat treatment, the micron-scale intermetallic phases were dissolved into the Al matrix and precipitated as the nanoscale β″, Q′ and θ′ strengthening phases. With increasing Cu content, the β″ precipitate decreased and vanished at 0.85 wt.% Cu, while the Q′ and θ′ precipitates increased in the heat-treated alloys. The trade-off of the phases induces the platform in the strength of the heat-treated alloys, and further increase of the Cu content in this undetected trapped platform range is not favorited industrially as it only decreases ductility.Innovate U

Nanoscale Zr-containing precipitates; a solution for significant improvement of high-temperature strength in Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys

Jaguar Range Rove

A compact high field magnet system for medical applications

High magnetic field gradients can be used for various medical applications including magnetically targeted drug delivery, magnetic cell separation and controlled local heating for the ablation of tumours. These processes involve the use of biocompatible magnetic nanoparticles directed to the area of interest by the use of a field gradient. The force on the nanoparticle is proportional to the field gradient product, so high fields are required for effective delivery. Bulk superconductors are an attractive solution for both drug delivery and the next generation of low cost magnetic resonance imaging magnets. In particular, MgB2 is seen as an attractive material due to its low cost, simple processing and relatively high transition temperature (∼39 K). This paper describes the development of a breadboard compact delivery system suitable for medical applications. This incorporates a cryogenic stage which utilises long life space-proven technology and state of the art ex-situ processed MgB 2 pellets.EP/P026427/1

Ultrafine grained plates of Al-Mg-Si alloy obtained by Incremental Equal Channel Angular Pressing : microstructure and mechanical properties

In this study, an Al-Mg-Si alloy was processed using via Incremental Equal Channel Angular Pressing (I-ECAP) in order to obtain homogenous, ultrafine grained plates with low anisotropy of the mechanical properties. This was the first attempt to process an Al-Mg-Si alloy using this technique. Samples in the form of 3 mm-thick square plates were subjected to I-ECAP with the 90˚ rotation around the axis normal to the surface of the plate between passes. Samples were investigated first in their initial state, then after a single pass of I-ECAP and finally after four such passes. Analyses of the microstructure and mechanical properties demonstrated that the I-ECAP method can be successfully applied in Al-Mg-Si alloys. The average grain size decreased from 15 - 19 µm in the initial state to below 1 µm after four I-ECAP passes. The fraction of high angle grain boundaries in the sample subjected to four I-ECAP passes lay within 53-57 % depending on the examined plane. The mechanism of grain refinement in Al-Mg-Si alloy was found to be distinctly different from that in pure aluminium with the grain rotation being more prominent than the grain subdivision, which was attributed to lower stacking fault energy and the reduced mobility of dislocations in the alloy. The ultimate tensile strength increased more than twice, whereas the yield strength - more than threefold. Additionally, the plates processed by I-ECAP exhibited low anisotropy of mechanical properties (in plane and across the thickness) in comparison to other SPD processing methods, which makes them attractive for further processing and applications