Electrical studies and plasma characterization of an atmospheric pressure plasma jet operated at low frequency

Low-temperature, high-pressure plasma jets have an extensive use in medical and biological applications. Much work has been devoted to study these applications while comparatively fewer studies appear to be directed to the discharge itself. In this work, in order to better understand the kind of electrical discharge and the plasma states existing in those devices, a study of the electrical characteristics of a typical plasma jet, operated at atmospheric pressure, using either air or argon, is reported. It is found that the experimentally determined electrical characteristics are consistent with the model of a thermal arc discharge, with a highly collisional cathode sheet. The only exception is the case of argon at the smallest electrode separation studied, around 1 mm in which case the discharge is better modeled as either a non-thermal arc or a high-pressure glow. Also, variations of the electrical behavior at different gas flow rates are interpreted, consistently with the arc model, in terms of the development of fluid turbulence in the external jet.Fil: Giuliani, Leandro Estanislao. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física del Plasma. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física del Plasma; ArgentinaFil: Xaubet Brea, Magalí Noel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física del Plasma. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física del Plasma; ArgentinaFil: Grondona, Diana Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física del Plasma. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física del Plasma; ArgentinaFil: Minotti, Fernando Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física del Plasma. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física del Plasma; ArgentinaFil: Kelly, Hector Juan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física del Plasma. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física del Plasma; Argentin

Niosomas encapsulados en praziquantel contra Schistosoma mansoni con sensibilidad reducida al praziquantel

Introduction: Praziquantel (PZQ) is the only commercially available drug for schistosomiasis. The current shortage of alternative effective drugs and the lack of successful preventive measures enhance its value. The increase in the prevalence of PZQ resistance under sustained drug pressure is, therefore, an upcoming issue. Objectives: To overcome the tolerance to PZQ using nanotechnology after laboratory induction of a Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni) isolate with reduced sensitivity to the drug during the intramolluscan phase. Materials and methods: Shedding snails were treated with PZQ doses of 200 mg/kg twice/week, followed by an interval of one week, and then repeated twice in the same manner. The success of inducing reduced sensitivity was confirmed in vitro via the reduction of cercarial response to PZQ regarding their swimming activity and death percentage at different examination times. Results: Oral treatment with a single PZQ dose of 500 mg/kg in mice infected with cercariae with reduced sensitivity to PZQ revealed a non-significant reduction (35.1%) of total worm burden compared to non-treated control mice. Orally inoculated PZQ-encapsulated niosomes against S. mansoni with reduced sensitivity to PZQ successfully regained the pathogen’s sensitivity to PZQ, as evidenced by measuring different parameters in comparison to the non-treated infected animals with parasites with reduced sensitivity to PZQ. The mean total worm load was 1.33 ± 0.52 with a statistically significant reduction of 94.09% and complete eradication of male worms. A remarkable increase in the percentage reduction of tissue egg counts in the liver and intestine (97.68% and 98.56% respectively) was obtained associated with a massive increase in dead eggs and complete absence of immature stages. Conclusion: PZQ-encapsulated niosomes restored the drug sensitivity against laboratory-induced S. mansoni adult worms with reduced sensitivity to PZQ.Introducción. El praziquantel (PZQ) es el único fármaco disponible comercialmente para la esquistosomiasis. La escasez actual de medicamentos alternativos eficaces y la falta de medidas preventivas eficaces aumentan su valor. El aumento de la prevalencia de la resistencia al PZQ bajo una presión prolongada del fármaco es, por tanto, un tema emergente. Objetivos. Superar la tolerancia a PZQ mediante nanotecnología después de la inducción en laboratorio de un aislamiento de Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni) con sensibilidad reducida al fármaco durante la fase intramolusca. Material y métodos. Los caracoles que liberaban cercarias se trataron con dosis de PZQ de 200 mg / kg dos veces por semana, seguido de un intervalo de una semana, y luego se repitieron dos veces de la misma manera. El éxito de inducir una sensibilidad reducida se confirmó in vitro mediante la reducción de la respuesta de las cercarias al PZQ con respecto a su actividad de natación y el porcentaje de muerte en diferentes momentos de examen. Resultados. El tratamiento oral con una dosis única de PZQ de 500 mg / kg en ratones infectados con cercarias con sensibilidad reducida a PZQ reveló una reducción no significativa (35,1%) de la carga total de gusanos en comparación con los ratones de control no tratados. Los niosomas encapsulados en PZQ inoculados por vía oral contra S. mansoni con sensibilidad reducida a PZQ permitieron reestablecer con éxito la sensibilidad del patógeno a PZQ, como lo demuestra la medición de diferentes parámetros en comparación con los animales infectados no tratados con parásitos con sensibilidad reducida a PZQ. La carga media total de gusanos fue de 1,33 ± 0,52 con una reducción estadísticamente significativa del 94,09% y la erradicación completa de los gusanos machos adultos. Se obtuvo un aumento notable en el porcentaje de reducción del recuento de huevos en tejido en el hígado y el intestino (97,68% y 98,56% respectivamente) asociado con un aumento masivo de huevos muertos y ausencia total de estadios inmaduros. Conclusión. Los niosomas encapsulados en PZQ restauraron la sensibilidad al fármaco contra gusanos adultos de S. mansoni inducidos en laboratorio con sensibilidad reducida a PZQ

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults from North Africa.

The share of North African immigrants in Europe is growing continuously. In this review, we aimed to systematically analyse and describe the literature on weight status and physical activity in North African adults, both in their home country and after immigration to Europe. Existing data on North African residents and on North African immigrants in Europe were analysed by a systematic search on PUBMED. There is a wide variation among countries in the prevalence of overweight/obesity, with immigrants showing higher values. The overall results revealed a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity in females than in males in North African residents. Females also show higher levels of obesity among immigrants. In particular, literature reports indicate that 1.3-47.8% of North African residents and 3.6-49.4% of North African immigrants in adult age are overweight or obese. Physical inactivity is higher than 20% in males and 40% in females in North African residents. The highest frequency of physically inactive or lightly active people among immigrants was observed in first-generation Sudanese and Moroccans in Amsterdam (males: 57.1%; females: 74.2%), with increasing rates in second-generation females. The results underline a higher health risk in North African immigrants than in residents. Specific public health strategies should be adopted in various populations of North African origin to control the obesity epidemic

Interventional Neuroradiology: Henry Ford Hospital Experience with Nonembolization Procedures

Innovative technical developments over the past two decades have resulted in the development of a variety of useful interventional procedures for minimally invasive treatment of a variety of head and neck lesions. We have had experience with four different types of nonembolization interventional neuroradiologic procedures at Henry Ford Hospital from 1981 through 1985. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of six external carotid artery stenoses has been performed in five patients. Five were successful, and the artery became occluded in one patient. Intracarotid BCNU infusion was performed successfully in five patients with recurrent astrocytoma. Intraarterial streptokinase infusion was performed in one patient with acute thrombosis of an ectatic basilar artery. A traumatic carotid cavernous fistula was successfully closed by detachable silicone balloon technique

Interventional Neuroradiology: Henry Ford Hospital Experience with Transcatheter Embolization of Vascular Lesions in the Head, Neck, and Spine

Innovative developments over the past 15 years have resulted in increased sophistication and effectiveness of therapeutic neuroembolization procedures. As a result, percutaneous transcatheter embolization has assumed an increasingly important role in the management of patients with vascular lesions of the head, neck, and spine. By reducing bleeding during surgery, this technique can markedly facilitate the surgical approach to difficult vascular lesions. The technique may also be applied in cases where surgery is contraindicated. Therapeutic neuroembolization has been performed in 23 patients with vascular lesions of the head, neck, or spine at Henry Ford Hospital. Devascularization of the extraaxial blood supply was achieved in all cases, and no neurologic complications were encountered. Eighteen patients with vascular tumors of the head, neck, or spine and three patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVM) were embolized preoperatively, resulting in marked facilitation of the surgical procedures. One patient with a dural AVM and one with a spinal metastasis were embolized without surger

Adult Ocular Toxocariasis Mimicking Ciliary Body Malignancy

Purpose. To discuss an unusual presentation of ocular toxocariasis. Methods. Case report. Results. A 40-year-old woman presented with decreased vision in the left eye with a long history of recurrent red eye from uveitis. Eosinophilia and positive ELISA titers for Toxocara canis favored the diagnosis of ocular toxocariasis. Over 3 months, an anterior scleral mass had a rapid growth raising the possibility of medulloepithelioma, which rarely can mimic uveitic syndromes. Surgical plan changed from local excision to enucleation. Histopathology demonstrated a large homogeneous mass of chronic inflammatory cells with inflammation of the overlying thinned out sclera, medial rectus insertion, and limbal cornea. The triad of peripheral granuloma, eosinophilia, and positive blood serology established the diagnosis of ocular toxocariasis. Conclusions. Ocular toxocariasis can mimic ocular malignancy such as medulloepithelioma in adults and rarely presents as an anterior scleral mass

Spatially Explicit Data: Stewardship and Ethical Challenges in Science

Scholarly communication is at an unprecedented turning point created in part by the increasing saliency of data stewardship and data sharing. Formal data management plans represent a new emphasis in research, enabling access to data at higher volumes and more quickly, and the potential for replication and augmentation of existing research. Data sharing has recently transformed the practice, scope, content, and applicability of research in several disciplines, in particular in relation to spatially specific data. This lends exciting potentiality, but the most effective ways in which to implement such changes, particularly for disciplines involving human subjects and other sensitive information, demand consideration. Data management plans, stewardship, and sharing, impart distinctive technical, sociological, and ethical challenges that remain to be adequately identified and remedied. Here, we consider these and propose potential solutions for their amelioration

Family carers' perspectives of managing activities of daily living and use of mHealth applications in dementia care: A qualitative study

Calleja, P ORCiD: 0000-0001-5674-1404Aim: To examine the needs, barriers and challenges experienced by family carers of people with dementia concerning the management of their care recipients' functional disabilities, and their experiences and opinions of using mobile health (mHealth) applications in health information seeking. Background: Functional disability is a significant problem among people with dementia and management can be challenging for family carers. Evidence suggests that mHealth applications can support knowledge needs of patients and families. Design: A qualitative descriptive exploratory study. Methodology: In-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of family carers using a semi-structured interview guide. An inductive thematic analysis method was used. The COREQ reporting guideline was followed. Results: Five spousal and five child carers participated in this study. Four key themes were identified: (a) Challenges faced that contribute to psychological distress and burden; (b) Essential role of support systems in dementia care; (c) Information and educational needs of family carers, and (d) Experiences and attitudes of mHealth applications as an educational and supportive resource. Conclusion: Providing functional care is demanding, challenging and stressful, and leads to carer burden. The complexity of dementia is a barrier in the organisation of functional care and access to a support network is vital to care provision. The information needs of family carers can potentially be addressed through an mHealth application. Relevance to clinical practice: This study provides important information on family carers' needs, and the barriers and challenges related to functional care for people with dementia. Findings from this study can assist nurses and other health professionals in the planning of educational and supportive programs for family carers. Furthermore, the use of mHealth applications could positively contribute to the delivery of these programs. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons Lt