On "the complete basis set limit" and plane-wave methods in first-principles simulations of water

Water structure, measured by the height of the first peak in oxygen-oxygen radial distributions, is converged with respect to plane-wave basis energy cutoffs for ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, confirming the reliability of plane-wave methods.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Towards comprehensive and transparent reporting: context-specific additions to the ICF taxonomy for medical evaluations of work capacity involving claimants with chronic widespread pain and low back pain

BACKGROUND: Medical evaluations of work capacity provide key information for decisions on a claimant's eligibility for disability benefits. In recent years, the evaluations have been increasingly criticized for low transparency and poor standardization. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a comprehensive spectrum of categories for reporting functioning and its determinants in terms of impairments and contextual factors and could facilitate transparent and standardized documentation of medical evaluations of work capacity. However, the comprehensiveness of the ICF taxonomy in this particular context has not been empirically examined. In this study, we wanted to identify potential context-specific additions to the ICF for its application in medical evaluations of work capacity involving chronic widespread pain (CWP) and low back pain (LBP).METHODS: A retrospective content analysis of Swiss medical reports was conducted by using the ICF for data coding. Concepts not appropriately classifiable with ICF categories were labeled as specification categories (i.e. context-specific additions) and were assigned to predefined specification areas (i.e. precision, coverage, personal factors, and broad concepts). Relevant specification categories for medical evaluations of work capacity involving CWP and LBP were determined by calculating their relative frequency across reports and setting a relevance threshold.RESULTS: Forty-three specification categories for CWP and fifty-two for LBP reports passed the threshold. In both groups of reports, precision was the most frequent specification area, followed by personal factors.CONCLUSIONS: The ICF taxonomy represents a universally applicable standard for reporting health and functioning information. However, when applying the ICF for comprehensive and transparent reporting in medical evaluations of work capacity involving CWP and LBP context-specific additions are needed. This is particularly true for the documentation of specific pain-related issues, work activities and personal factors. To ensure the practicability of the multidisciplinary evaluation process, the large number of ICF categories and context-specific additions necessary for comprehensive documentation could be specifically allocated to the disciplines in charge of their assessment.<br/

Diabetic foot infections: current concept review

The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a current concept review on the diagnosis and management of diabetic foot infections which are among the most serious and frequent complications encountered in patients with diabetes mellitus. A literature review on diabetic foot infections with emphasis on pathophysiology, identifiable risk factors, evaluation including physical examination, laboratory values, treatment strategies and assessing the severity of infection has been performed in detail. Diabetic foot infections are associated with high morbidity and risk factors for failure of treatment and classification systems are also described. Most diabetic foot infections begin with a wound and once an infection occurs, the risk of hospitalization and amputation increases dramatically. Early identification of infection and prompt treatment may optimize the patient's outcome and provide limb salvage

Psychological response and quality of life after transplantation: a comparison between heart, lung, liver and kidney recipients

PRINCIPLES: Various non-specific questionnaires were used to measure quality of life and psychological wellbeing of patients after organ transplantation. At present cross-organ studies dealing specifically with the psychological response to a transplanted organ are non-existent in German-speaking countries. METHODS: The Transplant Effects Questionnaire TxEQ-D and the SF-36 Quality of Life Questionnaire were used to examine the psychological response and quality of life of 370 patients after heart, lung, liver or kidney transplantation. The organ groups were compared with regard to psychosocial parameters. RESULTS: 72% of patients develop a feeling of responsibility for the received organ and its function. This feeling is even stronger towards the patient's key relationships i.e. family, friends, the treatment team and the donor. 11.6% worry about the transplanted organ. Heart and lung patients report significantly fewer concerns than liver and kidney patients. Overall, only a minority of patients report feelings of guilt towards the donor (2.7%), problems in disclosing their transplant to others (2.4%), or difficulties in complying with medical orders (3.5%). Lung transplant patients show significantly better adherence. CONCLUSIONS: A feeling of responsibility towards those one is close to and towards the donor is a common psychological phenomenon after transplantation of an organ. Conscious feelings of guilt and shame are harboured by only a minority of patients. The fact that heart and lung patients worry less about their transplant might have primarily to do with the greater medical and psychosocial support in this group

CONTROLE BIOLÓGICO DE CARRAPATOS - UMA ALTERNATIVA AO USO DE CARRAPATICIDAS EM PEQUENAS PROPRIEDADES

O carrapato Rhipicephalus microplus é um ectoparasito hematófago de grande importância para a pecuária, responsável por perdas massivas na produção animal, de forma que o seu controle é economicamente relevante. Altas infestações podem ocasionar transmissão de doenças infecciosas, impacto no bem-estar animal e perdas na produtividade. A utilização de fármacos carrapaticidas para controle de infestações é recorrente e possui aspectos negativos acentuados a saúde humana e animal, como a presença de resíduos em produtos de origem animal e a seleção de populações de carrapatos resistentes, implicando em diminuição da eficácia dos princípios ativos e perdas econômicas. Tendo em vista a crescente necessidade de diminuição da utilização de medicamentos na produção animal e redução de custos apequenos produtores, o objetivo do presente estudo foi aplicar o controle biológico como alternativa ao uso de carrapaticida em pequenas propriedades. O experimento foi desenvolvido no Instituto Federal Catarinense, Campus Araquari. Foram utilizadas 35 vacas leiteiras e 1 macho castrado (Holandês e Holandês x Jersey), acompanhados no período de agosto de 2019 a agosto de 2020. Duas vezes por semana eram realizadas inspeções visuais e remoção manual das teleóginas (fêmeas ingurgitadas) nas vacas em lactação, e uma vez por semana nas vacas secas e bezerras. Animais com infestações severas foram tratados com antiparasitários e todos os tratamentos anotados e descritos em planilha digital. Os dados de animais tratados ao longo do período experimental foram submetidos a análise estatísticadescritiva. Foram observadas reduções na quantidade de animais tratados com carrapaticidas ao longo do período experimental, passando de 50% dos bovinos tratados nos meses mais quentes do ano até menor que 10% nos meses mais frios. Na estação de verão mais animais foram medicados, necessidade explicada pelo clima favorável ao desenvolvimento e reprodução dos carrapatos. Foi observado que mesmo nos meses mais quentes, o percentualmáximo de animais medicados foi de 50%, podendo ser explicado devido esse tipo de manejo ser adotado em nosso setor desde julho de 2016, onde previamente a esse período 100% dos animais eram medicados a cada 21 dias. No presente estudo, pode-se concluir que a remoção manual de carrapatos como controle biológico, permitiu a redução da infestação e a diminuição da utilização de fármacos, sendo alternativa viável a pequenos produtores

Characterization of silver particles in the stratum corneum of healthy subjects and atopic dermatitis patients dermally exposed to a silver-containing garment

Silver is increasingly being used in garments to exploit its antibacterial properties. Information on the presence of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in garments and their in vivo penetration across healthy and impaired skin from use is limited. We investigated the presence of AgNPs in a silver containing garment and in the stratum corneum (SC) of healthy subjects (CTRLs) and individuals with atopic dermatitis (AD). Seven CTRLs and seven AD patients wore a silver sleeve (13% Ag w/w) 8 h/day for five days on a forearm and a placebo sleeve on the other forearm. After five days, the layers of the SC were collected by adhesive tapes. The silver particles in the garment and SC were characterized by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM and SEM revealed the presence of sub-micrometre particles having a broad range of sizes (30\u2013500 nm) on the surface of the garment that were identified as silver. On the SC tapes collected from different depths, aggregates with a wide range of sizes (150 nm\u20132 \u3bcm) and morphologies were found. Most aggregates contained primarily silver, although some also contained chlorine and sulfur. There was no clear difference in the number or size of the aggregates observed in SC between healthy and AD subjects. After use, AgNPs and their aggregates were present in the SC at different depths of both healthy subjects and AD patients. Their micrometre size suggests that aggregation likely occurred in the SC

Resumption of postpartum ovarian cyclicity in dairy cows and its relationship with acute phase proteins, uterine health and lipolysis during the transition period.

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a retomada do pós-parto ciclicidade e sua relação com proteínas de fase aguda, a saúde uterina e lipólise durante o período de transição de vacas leiteiras

Avaliação sanguínea de NEFA no periparto de vacas leiteiras submetidas ao teste de tolerância à glicose.

Este trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar os níveis de ácidos graxos não esterificados sanguíneos em vacas leiteiras da raça holandês com diferentes taxas de metabolização à glicose