Synthesis and fabrication of porous calcium phosphate ceramics for antibacterial bone substitutes

Calcium phosphate ceramics like hydroxyapatite (HA) are widely used to repair and reconstruct damaged parts of the human skeleton. This material is currently available as injectable cements, granules or macroporous blocks. The most familiar materials are granule shaped ones because their conveniency to be implanted in human body. In this study, a new manufacturing procedure to fabricate dense, microporous and macroporous hydroxyapatite spherical granules based on a lost wax principle and allowing the fabrication of beads with a fully controlled porosity is presented. The HA granules porous structure is used to impregnation by gentamicine and other active substances. The drug and phage releasing kinetics are compared as a function of time and ceramic porosity

Synthesis and fabrication of porous calcium phosphate ceramics for antibacterial bone substitutes

Calcium phosphate ceramics like hydroxyapatite (HA) are widely used to repair and reconstruct damaged parts of the human skeleton. This material is currently available as injectable cements, granules or macroporous blocks. The most familiar materials are granule shaped ones because their conveniency to be implanted in human body. In this study, a new manufacturing procedure to fabricate dense, microporous and macroporous hydroxyapatite spherical granules based on a lost wax principle and allowing the fabrication of beads with a fully controlled porosity is presented. The HA granules porous structure is used to impregnation by gentamicine and other active substances. The drug and phage releasing kinetics are compared as a function of time and ceramic porosity

Trex Wood-Polymer(R) Composite Lumber - Platelage

Also available in English: Trex Wood-Polymer(R) Composite Lumber - DeckingPeer reviewed: NoNRC publication: Ye

Assessment of the temporal change in groundwater quality when stored at different temperatures in household conditions, in the equatorial region of Central Africa

The study carried out aimed at assessing the impact of groundwater storage temperature at household conditions on the temporal evolution of electrical conductivity and the future of heterotrophic aerobe bacteria (HAB). The storage duration was 7 days and the considered temperatures were 3, 10, 18 and 25°C. The electrical conductivity during storage reached 829 µS/cm at 3 - 18°C and 850 µS/cm at 25°C. The maximum HAB abundance was 9 x 103 cfu/ml at 3°C, 41 x 103 cfu/ml at 10°C, 44 x 103 cfu/ml at 18°C and 93 x 103 cfu/ml at 25°C. At the 3rd and 7th days storage at 3°C, changes in bacterial abundances values were significantly in the same direction as those of electrical conductivity (P < 0.05). The highest cell apparent growth rate at the 3rd day storage was 0.249 d-1 at 3°C, 0.559 d-1 at 10°C, 0.924 d-1 at 18°C and 1.233 d-1 at 25°C. However, at the 7th day storage, it was 0.362 d-1 at 3°C, 0.497 d-1 at 10°C, 0.690 d-1 at 18°C and 0.672 d-1 at 25°C. At the 3rd day storage, a decrease in cell abundance was noted in 90% of samples at 3°C and the cell apparent inhibitory rate varied from 0.012 to 0.989 d-1. The storage of groundwater in households’ conditions for a long period would alter its bacteriological quality.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Assessment of in-situ abundance dynamics of enterobacteria and total heterotrophic aerobic bacteria in groundwater in the equatorial region of Central Africa

The main purpose of this investigation was to assess, in situ, the hourly abundance dynamics of enterobacteria and total heterotrophic aerobic bacteria (THAB), over a daily period, in 3 wells in Yaounde region, Cameroon. Sampling was done weekly, for 4 months. Water samples were collected in sterile glass bottles and incubated in situ for 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h, 10 h and 12 h. Isolation and enumeration of enterobacteria and THAB were performed on MacConkey agar (Bio-Rad) and standard agar (Bio-Rad) media, respectively, using the plate count method. Using a linear regression model, ln(number of CFUs) was plotted against time. The slope of each regression line was considered as the apparent increase or decrease in cell number. Concentrations of THAB and enterobacteria varied from 9.90 to 14.19 and 4.09 to 9.59 ln units∙mℓ-1, respectively, in W1, from 9.90 to 14.25 and 3.00 to 5.39 ln units∙mℓ-1 in W2, and from 9.90 to 14.00 and 6.55 to 11.51 ln units∙mℓ-1 in W3. For the first 6-hour incubation period at all of the sampling points, the cell apparent growth rate (CAGR) varied from 0.023 to 0.262 h-1 for THAB and from 0.001 to 0.315 h-1 for enterobacteria; cell apparent inhibition rate (CAIR) varied from 0.015 to 0.615 h-1 for THAB and from 0.015 to 0.604 h-1 for enterobacteria. In the second 6-h incubation period, the CAGR varied from 0.010 to 0.822 h-1 for THAB and from 0.015 to 0.771 h-1 for enterobacteria; the CAIR varied from 0.015 to 0.260 h-1 for THAB and from 0.007 to 0.338 h-1 for enterobacteria. The values of physico-chemical parameters recorded before incubation displayed temporal and spatial variation over the sampling period. Bacterial abundance dynamics in some cases was significantly correlated to some of these abiotic factors. The abundance of the microorganisms decreased initially but later increased.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

The French Advanced Course for Deployment Surgery (ACDS) called Cours Avancé de Chirurgie en Mission Extérieure (CACHIRMEX): history of its development and future prospects

Introduction The composition of a French Forward Surgical Team (FST) has remained constant since its creation in the early 1950s: 12 personnel, including a general and an orthopaedic surgeon. The training of military surgeons, however, has had to evolve to adapt to the growing complexities of modern warfare injuries in the context of increasing subspecialisation within surgery. The Advanced Course for Deployment Surgery (ACDS)?called Cours Avancé de Chirurgie en Mission Extérieure (CACHIRMEX)?has been designed to extend, reinforce and adapt the surgical skill set of the FST that will be deployed. Methods Created in 2007 by the French Military Health Service Academy (Ecole du Val-de-Grâce), this annual course is composed of five modules. The surgical knowledge and skills necessary to manage complex military trauma and give medical support to populations during deployment are provided through a combination of didactic lectures, deployment experience reports and hands-on workshops. Results The course is now a compulsory component of initial surgical training for junior military surgeons and part of the Continuous Medical Education programme for senior military surgeons. From 2012, the standardised content of the ACDS paved the way for the development of two more team-training courses: the FST and the Special Operation Surgical Team training. The content of this French military original war surgery course is described, emphasising its practical implications and future prospects. Conclusion The military surgical training needs to be regularly assessed to deliver the best quality of care in an context of evolving modern warfare casualties