Theoretical description of magnetic Compton scattering and magnetic properties of Cr-chalcogenide compounds

The subject of this work was to use the SPR-KKR formalism to investigate the ground state properties of materials from Cr-chalcogenide class and to describe the spectroscopic properties (Compton scattering and possitron annihilation) of different metallic systems. The fundamentals of the theoretical approach applied is presented in Chapter 2. In particular, the basics of the density functional theory used to reduce the many body electron-electron interaction to single electrons moving independently in an effective potential, together with the SPR-KKR formalism used to solve the electronic structure problem are discussed in detail. This theoretical formalism is applied to get the description of the magnetic Compton profile, as it is shown in Chapter 3, together with the results for pure metals, alloys and ordered compounds. The formalism which describe the positron annihilation os presented in Chapter 4. The 2D projection of the electron-positron momentum density for V it was compared with the experimental spectra and with the LMTO calculated spectra. A complementary approach to investigate the magnetic behaviour of solids using a microscopic model of the magnetic interaction was combined with the SPR-KKR band structure calculations in order to determine the magnetic ground state of CrSe and CrTe systems. The influence of the exchange-correlation treatment on the equilibrium lattice parameters for CrSexTe1-x alloy was investigated. The magnetic moments and density of states for Cr5Te8 system substituted with Se and Ti have been investigated, as can be seen in Chapter 5

Pathological Skin Picking: Case Presentation and Review of the Literature

Pathological skin picking is a condition in which patients induce skin lesions through repetitive, compulsive excoriations of normal skin or skin with minor surface irregularities and they admit their role in the production of the lesions, but are unable to stop their behavior. Psychiatric comorbidities most often associated with skin picking include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, mood disorders, body dysmorphic disorders, trichotillomania and compulsive-buying disorder. We report the case of a 17 year old female patient who addressed the dermatology department of our hospital with an eruption consisting of erythematous papules and plaques. The local examination revealed several clues of paramount importance in drawing the final conclusion and the psychiatric examination helped establish the diagnosis of pathological skin picking in a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Electronic Correlations in Vanadium Revealed by Electron-Positron Annihilation Measurements

The electronic structure of vanadium measured by Angular Correlation of electron-positron Annihilation Radiation (ACAR) is compared with the predictions of the combined Density Functional and Dynamical Mean-Field Theory (DMFT). Reconstructing the momentum density from five 2D projections we were able to determine the full Fermi surface and found excellent agreement with the DMFT calculations. In particular, we show that the local, dynamic self-energy corrections contribute to the anisotropy of the momentum density and need to be included to explain the experimental results

Electron-electron interaction strength in ferromagnetic nickel determined by spin-polarized positron annihilation

The two-photon momentum distribution of annihilating electron-positron pairs in ferromagnetic nickel (Ni) was determined by measuring the spin-polarized two-dimensional angular correlation of annihilation radiation (ACAR). The spectra were compared with theoretical results obtained within LDA+DMFT, a combination of the local density approximation (LDA) and the many-body dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT). The self-energy describing the electronic correlations in Ni is found to make important anisotropic contributions to the momentum distribution which are not present in LDA. Based on a detailed comparison of the theoretical and experimental results the strength of the local electronic interaction U in ferromagnetic Ni is determined as 2.0 +- 0.1 eV

Infecţia retrovirală acută

Se apreciază că între 40 şi 90% din infecţiile retrovirale acute (primo-infecţia HIV) sunt simptomatice. Identificarea pacienţilor în stadiile iniţiale ale infecţiei HIV are o importanţă deosebită, atât din punct de vedere medical (iniţierea precoce a terapiei antiretrovirale), cât şi din punct de vedere epidemiologic (întreruperea lanţului epidemiologic). Manifestările clinice ale infecţiei retrovirale acute (sindromul retroviral acut) apar la 3-6 săptămâni de la infectare. Acestea includ febră (80-90%), astenie (70-90%), erupţii morbiliforme (40-80%), cefalee (30-70%), limfadenopatie (40-70%), faringită (50-70%), mialgii şi artralgii, meningită aseptică (24%), dureri retro-orbitare, ulceraţii orale şi/sau genitale (5-20%), manifestări gastro-intestinale etc. Deoarece multe dintre aceste simptome sunt nespecifice, diagnosticul poate fi omis, chiar şi atunci când există un grad mare de suspiciune. Severitatea şi durata infecţiei retrovirale acute au valoare prognostică, manifestările severe şi prelungite corelându-se cu o progresie rapidă a bolii. Diagnosticul este sugerat de apariţia unor manifestări clinice compatibile la un pacient cu comportament sexual riscant sau cu o infecţie transmisibilă sexual recentă şi este confirmat de un test virusologic pozitiv (şi anticorpi negativi) sau prin documentarea seroconversiei. S-a demonstrat că iniţierea tratamentului antiretroviral reduce morbiditatea şi mortalitatea legate de boală; însă, o condiţie esenţială pentru realizarea acestui obiectiv o reprezintă stricta aderenţă la regimul terapeutic. De asemenea, prin scăderea încărcăturii virale, reduce considerabil şi contagiozitatea

THE USE OF PLANT EXTRACTS IN SUPPOSITORY FORMULATION

Universitatea de Stat de Medicină şi Farmacie „Nicolae Testemiţanu”, Chişinău, Republica MoldovaIntroducere. Biodisponibilitatea și efectul farmacologic ale formei farmaceutice semisolide de supozitor (SP), depind de combinația unor studii fizice, chimice, farmaco-tehnice și biologice complexe, desfășurate în conformitate cu cerințele farmacopeice. Un interes deosebit, pentru cercetătorii în domeniul medicamentelor, în prezent, este reprezentat de studiul utilizării extractelor standardizate din produse vegetale, în formularea SP. Scopul lucrării. Evaluarea surselor bibliografice referitor la studiile realizate privind încorporarea extractelor vegetale în forma semisolidă de supozitor. Material și metode. A fost efectuat studiul analitico-descriptiv a literaturii de specialitate utilizând bazele de date electronice precum Scopus, PubMed și EBSCO, utilizând 56 de publicații. Rezultate. Tehnologia de formulare a SP implică analiza detaliată a multiplilor parametri critici de proces precum: calitatea, cantitatea și originea substanțelor, excipienților, surfactanților, a temperaturii, vitezei și timpului de amestecare a masei supozitoarelor, a metodei de încorporare a substanțelor active, ș.a. Din datele literaturii în prepararea SP, sunt folosite atât uleiurile din plante (mușețel, mărar, cătină, luminița nopții, ș.a.), în concentrație de 10% ulei per supozitor, cât și extracte vegetale (levănțică, gălbenele, arbore de ceai, ș.a.). În colecția CȘPDPM a USMF „Nicolae Testemițanu” sunt cultivate și cercetate specii cu acțiune antifungică (anghinarea), antiiflamatoare și antibacteriană (sunătoarea), antioxidantă și cicatrizantă (agrimonia), ș.a. cu potențial de administrare externă sub formă de SP. Concluzie: Utilizarea extractelor vegetale în formularea supozitoarelor este în continuă ascensiune, grație prezenței compușilor biologic activi de natură fenolică.Introduction. The bioavailability and pharmacological effect of the semi-solid pharmaceutical form of suppositories (SP) depend on a combination of complex physical, chemical, pharmacotechnical, and biological studies conducted in accordance with pharmacopoeia requirements. A particular interest for researchers in the field of pharmaceuticals, currently lies in studying the use of standardized plant extracts in SP formulation. Objective of the study. Evaluation of bibliographic sources regarding studies conducted on the incorporation of plant extracts into the semi-solid suppository form. Material and methods. An analytical-descriptive study of the specialized literature was carried out using electronic databases such as Scopus, PubMed, and EBSCO, using 56 publications. Results. The formulation technology of SP involves a detailed analysis of multiple critical process parameters such as the quality, quantity, and origin of active substances, excipients, surfactants, temperature, mixing speed, and time of suppository mass blending, method of incorporation of active substances, etc. From the literature data, both, plant oils (chamomile, dill, sea buckthorn, evening primrose, etc.) in a concentration of 10% oil per suppository, as well as plant extracts (lavender, marigold, tea tree, etc.) are used in the preparation of SP. In the collection of the SPCFMP of the Nicolae Testemițanu University, a species with antifungal action (artichoke), anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties (St. John’s wort), antioxidant and wound-healing effects (agrimony), etc., are cultivated and researched, with the potential for external administration, including the SP form. Conclusion. The use of plant extracts in the formulation of suppositories is constantly increasing, thanks to the presence of biologically active compounds of a phenolic nature

Vegetable products and medicinal plants with diuretic action

Diuretics are widely used in the treatment of diseases accompanied by liquid retention in the body, especially in circulatory insufficiency, nephrotic syndrome, hypertension, glaucoma and belong to a class of drugs that remove the excess of salt and water from the body. Studies demonstrated that medicinal plants used in traditional medicine as diuretics are in progressive elevation in the last decades, and might be an important tool used in the treatment of human pathologies. The therapeutic value of medicinal plants lies in the chemical active substances that produce a definite physiological action on the human body. The most important of these chemical constituents are: polyphenols, flavonoids, anthracene derivatives, glycosides, saponins and essential oils, active principles with a wide spectrum of action.Diureticele sunt utilizate pe scară largă în tratamentul maladiilor însoţite de retenţia lichidelor în organism, în special în insuficienţă circulatorie, sindrom nefrolitic, hipertensiune arterială, glaucom și aparţin unei clase de medicamente care elimină excesul de sare și apă din organism. Studiile demonstrează că plantele medicinale utilizate în medicina tradiţională ca diuretice sunt folosite în creștere progresivă în ultimele decenii și ar putea fi un instrument important folosit în tratamentul patologiilor umane. Valoarea medicamentoasă a plantelor medicinale constă în compușii chimici activi care produc o acţiune fiziologică asupra corpului uman. Cei mai importanţi dintre acești constituenţi chimici sunt: polifenolii, flavonoidele, derivaţii antracenici, glicozidele, saponozidele și uleiurile volatile, principii active cu un spectru larg de acţiune

Liver fibrosis progression in a cohort of young HIV and HIV/ HBV co-infected patients: A longitudinal study using non-invasive APRI and Fib-4 scores

BackgroundThe risk of liver fibrosis increases over time in HIV and HIV-HBV individuals even under antiretroviral treatment (ART), warranting a rigorous and periodic monitorization. Given the lower availability of transient elastography, we aimed to assess the longitudinal variation of two non-invasive liver fibrosis scores, APRI and Fib-4, in cases with HIV monoinfection, HIV-HBV co-infection and individuals with HBsAg-seroclearance.MethodsWe performed an observational retrospective study between 2013 and 2019 on 212 HIV patients including 111 individuals with HIV mono-infection, 62 individuals with HIV-HBV co-infection and positive HBsAg and 39 cases with HIV-HBV infection and HBsAg-loss. The groups were followed at 36, 48, and 60 months. Liver fibrosis was indicated by an APRI >0.5 or Fib-4≥1.45 score and advanced fibrosis by an APRI score >1.5 or Fib-4 >3.25. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations (GEE) was used to assess the predictors for the presence of liver fibrosis over time.ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 58.5 months the prevalence of liver fibrosis in all patients increased with 0.5% reaching 11.3% using an APRI score and with 0.9% reaching 10.8% using the Fib-4 score. At the visit corresponding to 60 months the prevalence of liver fibrosis was higher in all HIV-HBV patients compared with individuals with HIV mono-infection, namely: 16.1% on APRI and 12.9% on the Fib-4 score in HIV-HBV/HBsAg-positive individuals, 12.8% on both APRI and Fib-4 scores in HIV-HBV/HBsAg-negative individuals vs. 8.1 and 9%, respectively in HIV mono-infection. The presence of liver fibrosis over the study period was independently associated with plasma HIV RNA, CD4+T cell counts, HIV-HBV co-infection (for APRI >0.5) and ART non-adherence (for Fib-4 >1.45). At the final visit, non-adherence to ART and CD4+T cell counts remained associated with liver fibrosis.ConclusionsThe study found a slow progression of APRI and Fib-4 scores over time in young PLWH with extensive ART. Liver fibrosis scores continued to increase in patients with HIV mono-infection yet remained lower than in HIV-HBV patients irrespective on the presence of HBsAg. The periodic follow-up using non-invasive scores on the long-term could help improve the surveillance in low-income settings and high scores should be followed by additional diagnostic methods