A simple dummy liver assist device prolongs anhepatic survival in a porcine model of total hepatectomy by slight hypothermia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Advances in intensive care support such as therapeutic hypothermia or new liver assist devices have been the mainstay of treatment attempting to bridge the gap from acute liver failure to liver transplantation, but the efficacy of the available devices in reducing mortality has been questioned. To address this issue, the present animal study was aimed to analyze the pure clinical effects of a simple extracorporeal dummy device in an anhepatic porcine model of acute liver failure.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Total hepatectomy was performed in ten female pigs followed by standardized intensive care support until death. Five animals (dummy group, n = 5) underwent additional cyclic connection to an extracorporeal dummy device which consisted of a plasma separation unit. The separated undetoxified plasma was completely returned to the pigs circulation without any plasma substitution or exchange in contrast to animals receiving intensive care support alone (control group, n = 5). All physiological parameters such as vital and ventilation parameters were monitored electronically; laboratory values and endotoxin levels were measured every 8 hours.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Survival of the dummy device group was 74 ± 6 hours in contrast to 53 ± 5 hours of the control group which was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Body temperature 24 hours after hepatectomy was significantly lower (36.5 ± 0.5°C vs. 38.2 ± 0.7°C) in the dummy device group. Significant lower values were measured for blood lactate (1.9 ± 0.2 vs. 2.5 ± 0.5 mM/L) from 16 hours, creatinine (1.5 ± 0.2 vs. 2.0 ± 0.3 mg/dL) from 40 hours and ammonia (273 ± 122 vs. 1345 ± 700 μg/dL) from 48 hours after hepatectomy until death. A significant rise of endotoxin levels indicated the onset of sepsis at time of death in 60% (3/5) of the dummy device group animals surviving beyond 60 hours from hepatectomy.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Episodes of slight hypothermia induced by cyclic connection to the extracorporeal dummy device produced a significant survival benefit of more than 20 hours through organ protection and hemodynamic stabilisation. Animal studies which focus on a survival benefit generated by liver assist devices should especially address the aspect of slight transient hypothermia by extracorporeal cooling.</p

Expression and content of terminal oxidases in Azotobacter vinelandii grown with excess NH4+ are modulated by O-2 supply

The influence of the rate of O2 supply to batch cultures on the contents of cytochromes bd and 'o' in NH4 +-grown Azotobacter vinelandii has been investigated. Difference spectra at room temperature (reduced + CO minus reduced) were recorded for whole cells of a wild-type strain and mutants which either lacked or over-produced the cytochrome bd-type terminal oxidase encoded by cydAB. A Tn5-B20 insertion in cydB in the former mutant also provided a means of monitoring cydAB gene expression from measurements of β-galactosidase activity. The content of cytochrome d in the wild-type, and the expression of cydAB-lacZ, in the mutant, increased as the O2 supply was raised, suggesting that O2 regulates cydAB expression even in the absence of diazotrophy. In a strain carrying a mutation in cydR, a regulatory gene upstream of cydAB, and which over-produces cytochrome bd, the responses to O2 supply during growth at different O2 supply rates were reversed. Changes in the content of a haemoprotein detectable in low temperature photodissociation spectra, and attributed to cytochrome b 595 -the high-spin cytochrome b component of the cytochrome bd complex - followed the changes in cytochrome d levels. CO difference spectra of both the wild-type strain and the cytochrome bd-deficient mutant revealed a haemoprotein with spectral characteristics similar to cytochrome o, the levels of which increased as the O2 supply was raised. These results are discussed with reference to previous reports of cytochrome changes in cells grown under N2-fixing conditions

Lock Unlock: The Impact of COVID-19 on Health Security in Pakistani and Indian Prisons

This paper assesses the state of COVID-19 in the Pakistani and Indian prison systems. Using publicly available data, governmental documents, media, and non-profit organization reports, and scholarly literature, we provide an overview of COVID-19 in each country and the current state of each nation’s prison system. We then analyze the impact of the novel coronavirus on the corrections systems and each government’s response to the virus in its prison infrastructure. The pandemic provides both Pakistan and India with the opportunity to change course and move toward a more sustainable prison system that protects human rights while bolstering health security

Assessing the impact of civil gang injunctions on the use of online media by criminal street gangs

Mounting evidence suggests that members of criminal street gangs use internet communications technology to advertise their accomplishments, promote a counter-normative lifestyle, and continue illicit operations. Noting that not all content is equal in its ability to influence target audiences, this study investigates the message sensation value (MSV) of material posted by street gangs with civil gang injunctions. Gangs facing increased social censure and behavioral restrictions associated with the imposition of CGIs may be more inclined to post You Tube videos with high MSV to promote gang lifestyles and brand, as their visibility in the neighborhood may be diminished by law enforcement action. The results show that (1) there is a moderate association between indices measuring MSV and content (lifestyle and branding); (2) gangs that continue to use physical violence to maintain social dominance arc observed to have lower scores on MSV, lifestyle and branding metrics; and, (3) videos filmed in public settings and those produced by gangs that have been under injunction for a longer period are likely to have stronger branding messages, while videos filmed in a safe zone are expected to have lower lifestyle messages. We find no significant difference between video quality between the Bloods and the Crips

TRANSLATIONAL BASIS SET CONTRACTION IN VARIATIONAL REACTIVE SCATTERING

A new translational basis set is introduced for quantum reactive scattering calculations that use the log derivative version of the Kohn variational principle. This basis set, which is similar in many respects to that used in electron-atom scattering calculations by Burke and Robb, is obtained by contracting a primitive basis of Lobatto shape functions to the box eigenfunctions of a one-dimensional reference Hamiltonian H0. In addition, a single energy-dependent scattering function is included in the variational expansion to ensure completeness at the boundary of the box. One fairly obvious choice for the reference Hamiltonian in an atom-diatom reaction is suggested, and all of the equations which are actually needed to implement the method in this context are carefully described. Example applications to the three-dimensional F + H2 reaction are then chosen to illustrate the practical potential of the approach. © 1990 American Institute of Physics

QUANTUM DYNAMICS OF THE H+D2-]D+HD REACTION - COMPARISON WITH EXPERIMENT

The Kohn variational principle for the log-derivative matrix is used to calculate integral cross sections for H + D2 (v = 0, j = 0) to D + HD (v′ = 0,1,2, all j′) at the experimentally accessible collision energies of 0.55 and 1.3 eV. Comparison is made with experimental and theoretical studies in the literature. Product state relative rotational distributions, vibrational branching ratios, and energy partitioning fractions are all in good agreement with the recent experimental results of Rinnen, Kliner, and Zare. Absolute cross sections are compared with the experimental work of Levene et al. and Johnson et al. Our results agree very well with their experiments. It is found that the quasiclassical results of Blais and Truhlar compare well with the present exact quantum mechanical predictions in many respects, however, the product rotational distributions are "hotter" than the quantal ones. © 1991 American Institute of Physics

CONVERGED VARIATIONAL QUANTUM SCATTERING RESULTS FOR THE 3-DIMENSIONAL F+HD REACTION

The log derivative version of the Kohn variational principle is used to calculate J=0 reaction probabilities and state-to-state time delays for the F+HD reaction, on the T5A potential energy surface, in the total energy range Etot=0.236 to 0.350 eV. While the computed reaction probabilities to H+DF are comparatively bland, those to D+HF show considerable resonant structure as a function of the scattering energy. For example, the computed state-to-state time delays for the predominant HF(v′=2) resonance et Etot=0.2575 eV imply the existence of a metastable collision complex with a half-life of about 0.1 ps. These results are discussed in the light of the high-resolution molecular beam experiments of Lee and coworkers and the bending corrected rotating linear model calculations of Hayes and Walker. © 1990

CONVERGED VARIATIONAL QUANTUM SCATTERING RESULTS FOR THE 3-DIMENSIONAL F+D2 REACTION

Converged J=0 quantum reaction probabilities over the translational range 0.04 to 4.84 kcal/mol are computed for the 3D F+D2 reaction, using the log derivative version of the Kohn variational principle. Rotational distributions for the DF ν′=3 and ν′=4 product states formed from the ν=0, j=0 initial state are plotted. The results are considered in the light of available experimental and theoretical work on the F+H2, F+D2 and F+HD reactions. © 1990

QUANTUM REACTIVE SCATTERING VIA THE LOG DERIVATIVE VERSION OF THE KOHN VARIATIONAL PRINCIPLE - GENERAL-THEORY FOR BIMOLECULAR CHEMICAL-REACTIONS

The log derivative version of the Kohn variational principle is reviewed in the context of a general bimolecular chemical reaction. The basis of this review, namely Wigner and Eisenbud's general formulation of rearrangement scattering, has been well known for many years. Therefore, so as to avoid any unnecessary confusion, the relationship between their equally famous script R matrix theory and Kohn's variational derivation is carefully described. The log derivative matrix is then eliminated from a basis set representation of Kohn's principle to leave a unitary and symmetric variational expression for the scattering matrix S. This new expression is expected to find its most fruitful application in the iterative solution of very large quantum scattering problems for which transitions from only a few initial states are required. © 1989 American Institute of Physics