Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome in a Child with Steroid Sensitive Nephrotic Syndrome

Introduction: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) was described in adults more than children. It was reported in cases of nephrotic syndrome which were mainly on immunosuppressant medicationsor had severe hypertension.Case report: We report the case of a 9-years old girl who presented with nephrotic syndrome and moderate hypertension. Nine days after the initiation of steroid therapy she developed disturbed level of consciousnessand generalized tonic clonic seizures. Her blood pressure was 145/90 mm Hg and she had normal serum creatinine and electrolytes levels. She was treated with furosemide and convulsions were controlled. After regainingconsciousness, the patient complained of loss of vision. Fundal  examination was normal. Magnetic resonant  imaging, axial FLAIR images and diffusion weighted imaging showed hyper-intensity signal in the parieto-occipital areas. Magnetic resonant arteriography and spectroscopy excluded ischemic insults and neoplastic process. She regained full consciousness and normal vision and was discharged from the ICU four days later. PRES was diagnosed based on the typical pattern of brainimaging and the reversibility of symptoms. .Conclusion: Nephrotic syndrome in children should be considered a risk factor for developing PRES even without the use of immunosuppressant agents or high doses of steroids

Seasonal biodiversity and ecological studies on the epiphytic microalgae communities in polluted and unpolluted aquatic ecosystem at Assiut, Egypt

A qualitative and quantitative study on epiphytic microalgae was carried out seasonally from November 2015 to August 2016 to follow up their community structures on aquatic macrophytes related to some physico-chemical properties of two polluted and unpolluted water bodies at Assiut, Egypt. A total of 169 species related to 64 genera of epiphytic microalgae were recorded. The most dominant algal group was Bacillariophyceae (43.2%), followed by Chlorophyceae (34.91%), Cyanophyceae (20.71%) and Euglenophyceae (1.18%). The total number of epiphytic algae fluctuated between 11.1 × 104 ind.g-1 plant dry wt. on Phragmites australis in summer at Nazlet Abdellah (polluted site) and 10.02 × 107 ind.g-1 plant dry wt. on Myriophyllum spicatum in winter at El-Wasta (unpolluted site). Some epiphytic microalgae were dominant as Pseudanabaena limnetica, Calothrix braunii, Scenedesmus acutus, and Ulnaria ulna. Others were specific on certain macrophytes as Aphanocapsa thermalis and Ulothrix sp., which grow on Phragmites australis, while Synechocystis minuscula attached itself on Myriophyllum spicatum. Analysis of PERMANOVA showed that the most important factors that induced the variation in epiphytic microalgae were the temporal variation and host plant. Water temperature, pH, nitrate, chloride, phosphate and total dissolved salts were the highest abiotic factors correlated with the variation in composition of epiphytic microalgae

Iec 61850-based communication networks of distribution system against cyber and physical failures

This paper proposes a decentralized control approach using a co-simulation platform to monitor protective elements and provide complete protection scheme for distribution systems. Real time measurements are obtained by interfacing the system model in RSCAD/RTDS with SEL 421 protective relays and publish/subscribe the voltage and current signals of the buses and transmission lines based on IEC 61850 communication protocol to isolate the fault correctly. The proposed technique helps to identify the location of the fault and introduces primary and buck protection for the system. The communication networks assists in facing cyber and physical threats and finding a new path for healthy relays to remove faults from the system. This technique is investigated on an IEEE 14 bus system for all possible fault locations. The proposed scheme can clear the fault by isolating the minimum part of the system and improving the endurance of the power in it. The system shows the smooth information flow between the cyber and physical parts to isolate faults in it in different cases

Effect of Microalloying Elements on the Heat Treatment Response and Tensile Properties of Al-Si-Mg Alloys

This study was carried out on a series of heat-treatable Al-Si-Mg alloys to determine the effects of Fe, Mg, Sr and Be addition on their microstructural characteristics and tensile properties. The results showed that the eutectic temperature was reduced by 10°C with 0.8 wt% Mg addition. The solidification curves and first derivatives of Sr-free alloys with high Fe and Mg contents revealed a peak at 611°C consequent to the formation of a script-like Be-Fe (Al8Fe2BeSi) phase, which was very close to the peak for α-Al. The morphology of the β-iron platelets underwent changes due to their dissolution, thinning, necking, and fragmentation with increase in solutionizing time. Increased Mg contents are beneficial to the tensile properties unlike the detrimental effect of increasing Fe contents. Additions of Be and Sr noticeably improved the properties at the same Fe and/or Mg contents, the enhancements being markedly observed at higher Mg contents and reduced Fe levels. At high Fe levels, addition of Be is preferable as it neutralizes the deleterious effects of Fe in these alloys; however, addition of 500 ppm Be is inadequate for interacting with other alloying elements

Subject-controlled, on demand, dorsal genital nerve stimulation to treat urgency urinary incontinence:a pilot

Contains fulltext : 171558.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of subject-controlled, on-demand, dorsal genital nerve (DGN) stimulation on non-neurogenic urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) in a domestic setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Non-neurogenic patients >18 years with overactive bladder symptoms and UUI were included. Exclusion criteria were mainly stress urinary incontinence. Patients underwent 1 week of subject-controlled, on-demand, DGN stimulation, delivered by a percutaneously placed electrode near the DGN connected to an external stimulator (pulse-rate 20 Hz, pulse-width 300 mus). Patients activated the stimulator when feeling the urge to void and stimulated for 30 s. The amplitude was set at the highest tolerable level. A bladder diary including a severity score of the UUI episodes/void (scores: 0 = none, 1 = drops, 2 = dashes, 3 = soaks) and a padtest was kept 3 days prior to, during, and 3 days after the test period. The subjective improvement was also scored. RESULTS: Seven patients (4 males/3 females) were enrolled, the mean age was 55 years (range 23-73). Six completed the test week. In the remaining patient the electrode migrated and was removed. 5/6 finalized the complete bladder diary, 1/6 recorded only the heavy incontinence episodes (score = 3). 4/6 completed the padtest. In all patients who finalized the bladder diary the number of UUI episodes decreased, in 3/5 with >/=60%. The heavy incontinence episodes (score = 3) were resolved in 2/6 patients, and improved >/=80% in the other 4. The severity score of the UUI episodes/void was improved with >/= 60% in 3/5 patients. The mean subjective improvement was 73%. CONCLUSION: This feasibility study indicates that subject-controlled, on-demand DGN stimulation using a percutaneously placed electrode is possible over a longer time period, in a home setting, with a positive effect on non-neurogenic overactive bladder symptoms with UUI. Although the placement is an easy procedure, it is difficult to fixate the electrode to keep it in the correct position. Improvements in hardware, like a better fixated electrode and an easy to control stimulator, are necessary to make SODGNS a treatment possibility in the future

Fine structure of the chromospheric activity in Solar-type stars - The Halpha Line

A calibration of H-alpha as both a chromospheric diagnostic and an age indicator is presented, complementing the works previously done on this subject (Herbig 1985, Pasquini & Pallavicini 1991. The chromospheric diagnostic was built with a statistically significant sample, covering nine years of observations, and including 175 solar neighborhood stars. Regarding the age indicator, the presence of stars for which very accurate ages are determined, such as those belonging to clusters and kinematic groups, lends confidence to our analysis. We also investigate the possibility that stars of the same age might have gone through different tracks of chromospheric decay, identifying - within the same age range - effects of metallicity and mass. These parameters, however, as well as age, seem to be significant only for dwarf stars, losing their meaning when we analyze stars in the subgiant branch. This result suggests that, in these evolved stars, the emission mechanism cannot be magnetohydrodynamical in nature, in agreement with recent models (Fawzy et al. 2002c, and references therein). The Sun is found to be a typical star in its H-alpha chromospheric flux, for its age, mass and metallicity. As a byproduct of this work, we developed an automatic method to determine temperatures from the wings of H-alpha, which means the suppression of the error inherent to the visual procedure used in the literature.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Nature of replacement: match astro-ph and ADS title (greek letter

Regiospecific Photochemical Synthesis of Methylchrysenes

Methylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are suspected to be some of the toxic compounds in crude oil towards marine life and are needed as single compounds for environmental studies. 1-, 3- and 6-methylchrysene (3a,b,c) were prepared as single isomers by photochemical cyclization of the corresponding stilbenoids in the Mallory reaction using stoichiometric amounts of iodine in 82-88% yield. 2-methylchrysene (3d) was prepared by photochemical cyclization where the regioselectivity was controlled by elimination of an ortho-methoxy group under acidic oxygen free conditions in 72% yield. These conditions failed to form 4-methylchrysene from the corresponding stilbenoid. All stilbenoids were made from a common naphthyl Wittig salt and suitably substituted benzaldehydes. We have also demonstrated that methylchrysenes can be oxidized to the corresponding chrysenecarboxylic acids by KMnO4 in modest yields.publishedVersio