888 research outputs found
Stability of biocontrol products carrying Candida sake CPA-1 in starch derivatives as a function of water activity
[EN] The preservation and shelf-life of formulations of the biocontrol
agent Candida sake CPA-1 and starch derivatives as a function of
water activity (aW) were studied in terms of the physical stability
of the products and cell viability. Formulations of biocontrol
products (BCPs), based on combinations of potato starch and pregelatinised
potato starch (F1 and F2) or maltodextrines (MD) (F3)
containing cell protectants, were obtained by fluidised-bed drying.
The carriers and the formulated products were stored at 20°C
under different aW conditions. The water sorption and water
plasticization behaviour of the different products were analysed
through the water sorption isotherms and glass transition
temperatures (Tg). Likewise, the viability of C. sake over time was
determined as a function of the aW. The solubility of the products
was also assessed. Although formulations stored at 20°C and low
aW (†0.33) exhibited a better shelf-life, a significant decrease in
cell survival ratio after 180 storage days was observed. Cold
storage (5°C) was required to better maintain the cell viability,
thus prolonging the shelf-life of BCPs. Formulations containing
MD were the most effective at preserving cell viability and also
exhibited the highest water solubility. All the formulations were
physically stable at ambient temperature; therefore, the cell
stability is the critical point at which to establish both the aW
levels and temperature during storage. Packaging the product
using high water vapour barrier material and under cold storage
would be necessary to ensure a high number of viable cells and
an effective and competitive BCPThe authors are grateful to the Spanish Government for the financial support from the national project RTA2012-00067-C02 (Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria, Spain and FEDER funds) and to the Conselleria d'Educacio of the Generalitat Valenciana, (Spain) for A. Marin's PhD grant.MarĂn-Gozalbo, A.; AtarĂ©s Huerta, LM.; ChĂĄfer NĂĄcher, MT.; Chiralt, A. (2017). Stability of biocontrol products carrying Candida sake CPA-1 in starch derivatives as a function of water activity. Biocontrol Science and Technology. 27(2):268-287. https://doi.org/10.1080/09583157.2017.1279587S26828727
Implementing a blood management protocol during the entire perioperative period allows a reduction in transfusion rate in major orthopedic surgery: a before-after study
BACKGROUND
Patient blood management (PBM) must be promoted in orthopedic surgery and relies on different strategies implemented during the entire perioperative period. Our aim was to assess whether the introduction of a preâ, intraâ, and postoperative PBM protocol combining erythropoietin (EPO), ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), and tranexamic acid was effective in reducing perioperative transfusion and postoperative anemia.
STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS
In a twoâphase prospective observational study, all patients admitted for total hip or knee arthroplasty were included the day before surgery. In Phase 1, use of EPO, iron, and tranexamic acid was left to the discretion of the anesthesiologists. In Phase 2, a protocol combining these treatments was implemented in the perioperative period. Perioperative hemoglobin levels and transfusion rates were recorded.
RESULTS
A total of 367 patients were included (184 and 183 in Phase 1 and 2, respectively). During Phase 2, implementing a PBM protocol allowed an increase in preoperative EPO prescription in targeted patients (i.e., with Hbâ<â13 g/dL; 18 [38%] vs. 34 [62%], pâ=â0.03) and in postoperative use of intravenous iron (12 [6%] vs. 32 [18%], pâ=â0.001) and tranexamic acid (157 [86%] vs. 171 [94%] patients, pâ=â0.02). In Phase 2, the number of patients who received transfusions (24 [13%] vs. 5 [3%], pâ=â0.0003) and of patients with a Hb level of less than 10 g/dL at discharge (46 [25%] vs. 26 [14%], pâ=â0.01) were reduced.
CONCLUSION
Introduction of a PBM protocol, using EPO, FCM, and tranexamic acid, reduces the number of perioperative transfusions and of patients with a Hb level of less than 10 g/dL at discharge
Isolated interfragmentary compression for nonunion of humeral shaft fractures initially treated by nailing: A preliminary report of seven cases
Introduction
Plating with bone grafting is considered the gold standard treatment for nonunion of humeral shaft fractures. However, this complex procedure involves multiple risks. The aim of this study is to evaluate an alternative treatment using isolated axial interfragmentary compression for the dynamisation of humeral shaft nonunion after retrograde locked nailing.
Materials and methods
Between January 2000 and May 2009, 124 humeral shaft fractures were treated in our trauma department with retrograde locked nailing using the unreamed humeral nail (UHNÂź, Synthes, Paoli, PA, USA). Nonunion occurred in seven patients (5.6%) â five females and two males, mean age 44 years (range: 17â73 years). The nonunion was treated by applying isolated secondary interfragmentary compression. Mean follow-up was 43 months (range: 8â74 months). The Rommens score and the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) score were used to evaluate the global functioning of the upper limb.
Results
The compression procedure was successful in all seven cases. In each case, the union occurred without any complications in 3â5 months. The mean DASH score was 25/100 (range: 8.3â60.8/100). The Rommens score was judged excellent for five of the seven patients but two were rated moderate. One of these suffered from complex regional pain syndrome type II since the fracture, and another developed a stiff shoulder 6 months after trauma.
Conclusion
Isolated secondary interfragmentary compression appears to be a simple and successful procedure in cases of humeral nonunion
Search for Doubly-Charged Higgs Boson Production at HERA
A search for the single production of doubly-charged Higgs bosons H^{\pm \pm}
in ep collisions is presented. The signal is searched for via the Higgs decays
into a high mass pair of same charge leptons, one of them being an electron.
The analysis uses up to 118 pb^{-1} of ep data collected by the H1 experiment
at HERA. No evidence for doubly-charged Higgs production is observed and mass
dependent upper limits are derived on the Yukawa couplings h_{el} of the Higgs
boson to an electron-lepton pair. Assuming that the doubly-charged Higgs only
decays into an electron and a muon via a coupling of electromagnetic strength
h_{e \mu} = \sqrt{4 \pi \alpha_{em}} = 0.3, a lower limit of 141 GeV on the
H^{\pm\pm} mass is obtained at the 95% confidence level. For a doubly-charged
Higgs decaying only into an electron and a tau and a coupling h_{e\tau} = 0.3,
masses below 112 GeV are ruled out.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl
Long-term results of 32-mm alumina-on-alumina THA for avascular necrosis of the femoral head
BACKGROUND:
Ceramic bearings in total hip arthroplasty (THA) have been introduced in clinical practice to minimize the problem of polyethylene particle-induced osteolysis. The aim of the study is to report the results of 68 consecutive alumina-on-alumina THAs done in 61 patients for avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
In all implants a press-fit cup was used; it was combined with a 32-mm alumina head and with titanium-alloy stems. The mean age at surgery was 50 years. At an average follow-up of 13 years two hips have been revised, one for periprosthetic infection and one for excessive abduction of the cup.
RESULTS:
No revision for aseptic loosening is recorded; one anatomical cementless femoral stem had radiological evidence of definite aseptic loosening. No dislocations occurred, and no osteolysis was observed.
CONCLUSIONS:
The results support the application of alumina-alumina THA for long-lasting replacements
Forward pi^0 Production and Associated Transverse Energy Flow in Deep-Inelastic Scattering at HERA
Deep-inelastic positron-proton interactions at low values of Bjorken-x down
to x \approx 4.10^-5 which give rise to high transverse momentum pi^0 mesons
are studied with the H1 experiment at HERA. The inclusive cross section for
pi^0 mesons produced at small angles with respect to the proton remnant (the
forward region) is presented as a function of the transverse momentum and
energy of the pi^0 and of the four-momentum transfer Q^2 and Bjorken-x.
Measurements are also presented of the transverse energy flow in events
containing a forward pi^0 meson. Hadronic final state calculations based on QCD
models implementing different parton evolution schemes are confronted with the
data.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures and 3 table
Searches at HERA for Squarks in R-Parity Violating Supersymmetry
A search for squarks in R-parity violating supersymmetry is performed in e^+p
collisions at HERA at a centre of mass energy of 300 GeV, using H1 data
corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 37 pb^(-1). The direct production
of single squarks of any generation in positron-quark fusion via a Yukawa
coupling lambda' is considered, taking into account R-parity violating and
conserving decays of the squarks. No significant deviation from the Standard
Model expectation is found. The results are interpreted in terms of constraints
within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), the constrained MSSM
and the minimal Supergravity model, and their sensitivity to the model
parameters is studied in detail. For a Yukawa coupling of electromagnetic
strength, squark masses below 260 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level in a
large part of the parameter space. For a 100 times smaller coupling strength
masses up to 182 GeV are excluded.Comment: 32 pages, 14 figures, 3 table
Multiplicity Structure of the Hadronic Final State in Diffractive Deep-Inelastic Scattering at HERA
The multiplicity structure of the hadronic system X produced in
deep-inelastic processes at HERA of the type ep -> eXY, where Y is a hadronic
system with mass M_Y< 1.6 GeV and where the squared momentum transfer at the pY
vertex, t, is limited to |t|<1 GeV^2, is studied as a function of the invariant
mass M_X of the system X. Results are presented on multiplicity distributions
and multiplicity moments, rapidity spectra and forward-backward correlations in
the centre-of-mass system of X. The data are compared to results in e+e-
annihilation, fixed-target lepton-nucleon collisions, hadro-produced
diffractive final states and to non-diffractive hadron-hadron collisions. The
comparison suggests a production mechanism of virtual photon dissociation which
involves a mixture of partonic states and a significant gluon content. The data
are well described by a model, based on a QCD-Regge analysis of the diffractive
structure function, which assumes a large hard gluonic component of the
colourless exchange at low Q^2. A model with soft colour interactions is also
successful.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Eur. Phys. J., error in first
submission - omitted bibliograph
Differential (2+1) Jet Event Rates and Determination of alpha_s in Deep Inelastic Scattering at HERA
Events with a (2+1) jet topology in deep-inelastic scattering at HERA are
studied in the kinematic range 200 < Q^2< 10,000 GeV^2. The rate of (2+1) jet
events has been determined with the modified JADE jet algorithm as a function
of the jet resolution parameter and is compared with the predictions of Monte
Carlo models. In addition, the event rate is corrected for both hadronization
and detector effects and is compared with next-to-leading order QCD
calculations. A value of the strong coupling constant of alpha_s(M_Z^2)=
0.118+- 0.002 (stat.)^(+0.007)_(-0.008) (syst.)^(+0.007)_(-0.006) (theory) is
extracted. The systematic error includes uncertainties in the calorimeter
energy calibration, in the description of the data by current Monte Carlo
models, and in the knowledge of the parton densities. The theoretical error is
dominated by the renormalization scale ambiguity.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables, submitted to Eur. Phys.
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