527 research outputs found
Analysis of the reactivity of indirect immunofluorescence in patients with pemphigus foliaceus and pemphigus vulgaris using rat bladder epithelium as a substrate
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the reactivity of indirect immunofluorescence using rat bladder epithelium as a substrate in patients with pemphigus foliaceus and pemphigus vulgaris from the Department of Dermatology, University of São Paulo Medical School, Brazil. METHODS: Thirty-two patients (8 male and 24 female) from the Department of Dermatology, University of São Paulo Medical School, were selected. Three had mucosal pemphigus vulgaris, 20 had mucocutaneous pemphigus vulgaris, and 9 had pemphigus foliaceus. Patients’ sera were tested by indirect immunofluorescence performed on human foreskin and rat bladder epithelium and by ELISA assays utilizing baculovirus-expressed recombinant desmoglein 3 and desmoglein 1. RESULTS: No patients with mucosal pemphigus vulgaris, 5 of 20 patients with mucocutaneous pemphigus vulgaris (25%) and 4 of 9 patients with pemphigus foliaceus (44%) had positive indirect immunofluorescence using rat bladder epithelium as a substrate. CONCLUSION: Indirect immunofluorescence using rat bladder epithelium as a substrate is recommended whenever a diagnosis of paraneoplastic pemphigus is considered. The identification of a subset of pemphigus foliaceus and pemphigus vulgaris patients that recognizes desmoplakins by this laboratory tool is critical to avoid the misdiagnosis of paraneoplastic pemphigus
New type of microengine using internal combustion of hydrogen and oxygen
Microsystems become part of everyday life but their application is restricted
by lack of strong and fast motors (actuators) converting energy into motion.
For example, widespread internal combustion engines cannot be scaled down
because combustion reactions are quenched in a small space. Here we present an
actuator with the dimensions 100x100x5 um^3 that is using internal combustion
of hydrogen and oxygen as part of its working cycle. Water electrolysis driven
by short voltage pulses creates an extra pressure of 0.5-4 bar for a time of
100-400 us in a chamber closed by a flexible membrane. When the pulses are
switched off this pressure is released even faster allowing production of
mechanical work in short cycles. We provide arguments that this unexpectedly
fast pressure decrease is due to spontaneous combustion of the gases in the
chamber. This actuator is the first step to truly microscopic combustion
engines.Comment: Paper and Supplementary Information (to appear in Scientific Reports
A deep wide-field sub-mm survey of the Carina Nebula complex
The Great Nebula in Carina is a superb location in which to study the physics
of violent massive star-formation and the resulting feedback effects, including
cloud dispersal and triggered star-formation. In order to reveal the cold dusty
clouds in the Carina Nebula complex, we used the Large APEX Bolometer Camera
LABOCA at the APEX telescope to map a 1.25 deg x 1.25 deg (= 50 x 50 pc^2)
region at 870 micrometer. From a comparison to Halpha images we infer that
about 6% of the 870 micrometer flux in the observed area is likely free-free
emission from the HII region, while about 94% of the flux is very likely
thermal dust emission. The total (dust + gas) mass of all clouds for which our
map is sensitive is ~ 60 000 Msun, in good agreement with the mass of the
compact clouds in this region derived from 13CO line observations. We generally
find good agreement in the cloud morphology seen at 870 micrometer and the
Spitzer 8 micrometer emission maps, but also identify a prominent infrared dark
cloud. Finally, we construct a radiative transfer model for the Carina Nebula
complex that reproduces the observed integrated spectral energy distribution
reasonably well. Our analysis suggests a total gas + dust mass of about 200000
Msun in the investigated area; most of this material is in the form of
molecular clouds, but a widely distributed component of (partly) atomic gas,
containing up to ~ 50% of the total mass, may also be present. Currently, only
some 10% of the gas is in sufficiently dense clouds to be immediately available
for future star formation, but this fraction may increase with time owing to
the ongoing compression of the strongly irradiated clouds and the expected
shockwaves of the imminent supernova explosions.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics; high-quality
pre-prints can be obtained from
http://www.usm.uni-muenchen.de/people/preibisch/publications.htm
Proton spectra from Non-Mesonic Weak Decay of p-shell Lambda-Hypernuclei and evidence for the two-nucleon induced process
New spectra from the FINUDA experiment of the Non Mesonic Weak Decay (NMWD)
proton kinetic energy for 9(Lambda)Be, 11(Lambda)B, 12(Lambda)C, 13(Lambda)C,
15 (Lambda)N and 16(Lambda)O are presented and discussed along with the
published data on 5(Lambda)He and 7(Lambda)Li. Exploiting the large mass number
range and the low energy threshold (15 MeV) for the proton detection of FINUDA,
an evaluation of both Final State Interactions (FSI) and the two nucleon
induced NMWD contributions to the decay process has been done. Based on this
evaluation, a linear dependence of FSI on the hypernuclear mass number A is
found and for the two nucleon stimulated decay rate the experimental value of
Gamma2/Gammap=0.43+-0.25 is determined for the first time. A value for the two
nucleon stimulated decay rate to the total decay rate
Gamma2/GammaNMWD=0.24+-0.10 is also extracted.Comment: 11 pages and 2 figure
A study of the proton spectra following the capture of in Li and C with FINUDA
Momenta spectra of protons emitted following the capture of in Li
and C have been measured with 1% resolution. The C spectrum is
smooth whereas for Li a well defined peak appears at about 500 MeV/. The
first observation of a structure in this region was identified as a strange
tribaryon or, possibly, a -nuclear state. The peak is correlated with a
coming from decay in flight, selected by setting momenta
larger than 275 MeV/. The could be produced, together with a 500
MeV/ proton, by the capture of a in a deuteron-cluster substructure of
the Li nucleus. The capture rate for such a reaction is (1.62\pm
0.23_{stat} ^{+0.71}_{-0.44}(sys))%/K^-_{stop}, in agreement with the existing
observations on He targets and with the hypothesis that the Li nucleus
can be interpreted as a cluster.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in NP
Production of H and H with the (K,) reaction
The production of neutron rich -hypernuclei via the
(,) reaction has been studied using data collected with the
FINUDA spectrometer at the DANE -factory (LNF). The analysis of the
inclusive momentum spectra is presented and an upper limit for the
production of H and H from Li and Li, is
assessed for the first time.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in PL
How Well Are Hand Hygiene Practices and Promotion Implemented in Sierra Leone? A Cross-Sectional Study in 13 Public Hospitals.
From Europe PMC via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: ppub 2022-03-01, epub 2022-03-23Publication status: PublishedFunder: World Health Organization; Grant(s): 001Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) result in millions of avoidable deaths or prolonged lengths of stay in hospitals and cause huge economic loss to health systems and communities. Primarily, HAIs spread through the hands of healthcare workers, so improving hand hygiene can reduce their spread. We evaluated hand hygiene practices and promotion across 13 public health hospitals (six secondary and seven tertiary hospitals) in the Western Area of Sierra Leone in a cross-sectional study using the WHO hand hygiene self-Assessment framework in May 2021. The mean score for all hospitals was 273 ± 46, indicating an intermediate level of hand hygiene. Nine hospitals achieved an intermediate level and four a basic level. More secondary hospitals 5 (83%) were at the intermediate level, compared to tertiary hospitals 4 (57%). Tertiary hospitals were poorly rated in the reminders in workplace and institutional safety climate domains but excelled in training and education. Lack of budgets to support hand hygiene implementation is a priority gap underlying this poor performance. These gaps hinder hand hygiene practice and promotion, contributing to the continued spread of HAIs. Enhancing the distribution of hand hygiene resources and encouraging an embedded culture of hand hygiene practice in hospitals will reduce HAIs
Incidence and risk factors of surgical site infections and related antibiotic resistance in Freetown, Sierra Leone: a prospective cohort study
BACKGROUND: There is limited information on surgical site infections (SSI) and the related antibiotic resistance needed to guide their management and prevention in Sierra Leone. In this study, we aimed to establish the incidence and risk factors of SSI and the related antibiotic resistance among adults attending a tertiary hospital, and a secondary health facility in Freetown, Sierra Leone. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study designed to collect data from adult (18 years or older) patients who attended elective and emergency surgeries at two hospitals in Freetown between February and July, 2021. Data analysis was done using STATA version 16. RESULTS: Of 338 patients, 245 (72.5%) and 93 (27.5%) had their surgeries at the tertiary and secondary hospitals, respectively. Many were males 192 (56.8%), less than 35 years 164 (48.5%), and 39 (11.5%) developed an SSI. Of the 39 patients who acquired an SSI, 7 (17.9%) and 32 (82.1%) had their surgeries at the secondary and tertiary hospitals, respectively. The incidence of SSI is higher in contaminated 17 (43.6%) than in clean-contaminated 12 (30.8%) and clean 10 (25.6%) wounds. Wound swabs were collected in 29 (74.4%) patients, of which 18 (62.1%) had bacterial growth. In total, 49 isolates of 14 different bacteria including gram-negative 41 (83.7%) and gram-positive 8 (16.3%) isolates were identified. Of these, 32 (65.3%) were Enterobacteriaceae, 9 (18.4%) were Non-fermenting gram-negative bacilli and 10 (12.2%) were Enterococci. The most common isolates were Escherichia coli (12, 24.5%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (10, 20.4%), Acinetobacter baumannii (5, 10.2%), Klebsiella oxytoca (4, 8.2%) and Enterococcus faecalis (4, 8.2%). The Enterobacteriaceae were either resistance to carbapenems (4, 8.2%) or were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing organisms (29, 59.2%). Male sex [p = 0.031], an ASA score >/= 2 [p = 0.020), administration of general anaesthesia [p = 0.018] and elevated fasting glucose [p = 0.033] were predictive of SSI. CONCLUSION: The incidence of SSI in this study is comparable to other low- and middle-income countries, but a substantial proportion of these postoperative wounds have an ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. Therefore, routine surveillance of SSI and related antibiotic resistance is required in resource-limited settings
Correlated pairs from the reaction
Correlated pairs emitted after the absorption of negative kaons
at rest in light nuclei and are
studied. -hyperons and deuterons are found to be preferentially
emitted in opposite directions. The invariant mass spectrum of
shows a bump whose mass is 32516 MeV/c. The bump mass (binding
energy), width and yield are reported. The appearance of a bump is discussed in
the realm of the [] clustering process in nuclei. The experiment was
performed with the FINUDA spectrometer at DANE (LNF).Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Lett.
High levels of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis: implications for hospital-based antibiotic stewardship in Sierra Leone
OBJECTIVE: Despite the impact of inappropriate prescribing on antibiotic resistance, data on surgical antibiotic prophylaxis in sub-Saharan Africa are limited. In this study, we evaluated antibiotic use and consumption in surgical prophylaxis in 4 hospitals located in 2 geographic regions of Sierra Leone. METHODS: We used a prospective cohort design to collect data from surgical patients aged 18 years or older between February and October 2021. Data were analyzed using Stata version 16 software. RESULTS: Of the 753 surgical patients, 439 (58.3%) were females, and 723 (96%) had received at least 1 dose of antibiotics. Only 410 (54.4%) patients had indications for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis consistent with local guidelines. Factors associated with preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis were the type of surgery, wound class, and consistency of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis with local guidelines. Postoperatively, type of surgery, wound class, and consistency of antibiotic use with local guidelines were important factors associated with antibiotic use. Of the 2,482 doses administered, 1,410 (56.8%) were given postoperatively. Preoperative and intraoperative antibiotic use was reported in 645 (26%) and 427 (17.2%) cases, respectively. The most commonly used antibiotic was ceftriaxone 949 (38.2%) with a consumption of 41.6 defined daily doses (DDD) per 100 bed days. Overall, antibiotic consumption was 117.9 DDD per 100 bed days. The Access antibiotics had 72.7 DDD per 100 bed days (61.7%). CONCLUSIONS: We report a high rate of antibiotic consumption for surgical prophylaxis, most of which was not based on local guidelines. To address this growing threat, urgent action is needed to reduce irrational antibiotic prescribing for surgical prophylaxis
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