Antimicrobial effect of vancomycin electro-transferred water against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Background: There is a number of alternative and complementary therapeutics that are unproven or have not been properly tested. For past twenty years, the transfer of bio-energetic information has been recognized as a novel scientific approach capable of contributing to improved therapy in the management of several diseases through the so-called bio-resonance therapy (BRT). Although BRT was discovered in the late 1980s, it is still poorly studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial effect of water samples transferred with electronic information of vancomycin, a well known drug against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), by using a BRT device on bacterial cultures.Material and Methods: MRSA cultures were treated with vancomycin electro-transferred water samples, vancomycin (4.0 and 8.0 μg/mL), sham electro-transferred (water to water) and non-transferred water samples (medium alone). Growth inhibition was evaluated in liquid and solid culture medium, spectrophotometrically and by CFU determination respectively.Results: The obtained data showed that by transferring vancomycin (4.0 and 8.0 μg/mL) information to water samples, the growth of cultured MRSA was significantly (p< 0.05) inhibited (up to 35%), compared with those cultures treated with electro-transferred water to water or cultured in medium alone (0% growth inhibition).Conclusion: This in vitro study suggests that water samples that are electronically transferred with vibration sustained information of vancomycin are capable of inhibiting growth of axenically cultured methicillin resistant S. aureus.Key words: Antimicrobial effect, electro-transferred water, bio-resonance, vancomycin, Sthaphylococcus aureus

Thermoelectric power of bulk black-phosphorus

The potential of bulk black-phosphorus for thermoelectric applications has been experimentally studied. The Seebeck Coefficient (S) has been measured in the temperature range from 300 K to 385 K, finding a value of S = +335 +- 10 uV/K at room temperature (indicating a naturally occurring p-type conductivity). S increases with temperature, as expected for p-type semiconductors, which can be attributed to an increase of the charge carrier density. The electrical resistance drops up to a 40 % while heating in the studied temperature range. As a consequence, the power factor at 385 K is 2.7 times higher than that at room temperature. This work demonstrates the feasibility of black-phosphorus in thermoelectric applications, such as thermal energy scavenging, which typically require devices with high performance at temperatures above room temperature.Comment: 3 figure

The effects of advanced maternal age on T- cell subsets at the maternal- fetal interface prior to term labor and in the offspring: a mouse study

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155904/1/cei13437.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155904/2/cei13437_am.pd

Alterations of antitumor and metabolic responses in L5178Y-R lymphoma-bearing mice after only 30-minute daily chronic stress exposure

Aim: In stress research, reducing times of stress induction may contribute to improving the well-being of experimental animals, especially in cancer models, already under physiological distress. To support this idea, we evaluated the effects of a short-timed stress protocol on endocrine, metabolic and immune indicators in mice bearing the L5178Y-R lymphoma. Materials and Methods: A 30-minute daily stress protocol was applied for 28 days to healthy and lymphoma-bearing BALB/c mice; body weight, plasma levels of corticosterone, norepinephrine, Th1/Th2 cytokines, insulin, and leptin, were measured. Results: We found a 12% significant decrease in body weight in non-tumor bearing mice under stress (p < 0.007). The disruption of weight evolution was accompanied by a stress induced 85% decrease in plasmatic leptin (p < 0.01) and total reduction of insulin. Tumor burden alone was associated to an increase in more than two-fold of plasmatic levels of norepinephrine (p < 0.008). Neither stress nor tumor or their combination, resulted in an elevation of systemic IL-6. IFN-γ levels were 20 times higher in lymphoma-bearing animals when compared with non-tumor bearing mice (p < 0.01); however, under stress, this response was reduced by half, indicating a suppressing effect of chronic stress on the antitumor immune response. Conclusion: A short-timed stress induction is enough to cause significant alterations in the metabolism and immunity of healthy and tumor-bearing mice, supporting the use of short-timed protocols as an efficient way to induce chronic stress that also considers concerns regarding the well-being of experimental animals in biomedical research

Change in quality of life of stage IA lung cancer patients after sublobar resection and lobectomy

© Journal of Thoracic Disease. All rights reserved. Background: Few studies have examined the differential impact of sublobar resection (SL) and lobectomy (L) on quality of life (QoL) during the first postoperative year. Methods: We used a prospective cohort of Stage IA lung cancer patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) from the Initiative for Early Lung Cancer Research on Treatment. QoL was measured before surgery, and within 4, 6, and 12 months post-surgery using three validated instruments: SF-12 [physical (PCS) and mental health (MCS)], FACT-LCS (lung-cancer-symptoms), and the PHQ-4 (anxiety and depression subscales). Locally weighted smoothing curve (LOWESS) was fitted to identify the best interval knot for the change in the QoL trend post-surgery. After adjusting for demographic and clinical variables, an adjusted piecewise linear mixed effects model was developed to estimate differences in baseline and 12-month scores, and rates of change for each QoL measure. Results: SL resection was performed in 127 (63.2%) and L in 74 (36.8%) patients. LOWESS plots suggested that the shift of QoL (interval knot) was at 2 months post-surgery. Decreases in PCS scores were less severe for SL than L patients 2 months post-surgery (−0.18 vs. −2.30, P=0.02); while subsequent improvements were observed for both groups (SL: +0.29 vs. L: +0.74, P=0.06). SL patients reported significantly better scores a year post-surgery compared to baseline (P=0.003), while L patients did not. Anxiety decreased at similar rates for both SL and L patients within 2 months post-surgery (P=0.18), then stabilized for the remaining months. MCS and depression scores remained stable in both groups throughout. QoL scores were lower for women than for men, but only significantly worse for the lung-cancer-symptoms (P=0.003) and anxiety (P=0.04). Conclusions: SL patients fared better in physical health and lung cancer symptoms than L patients. The first two postoperative months showed the most significant change which suggests targeting postoperative intervention during that time

Working with interpreters: how student behavior affects quality of patient interaction when using interpreters

Background: Despite the prevalence of medical interpreting in the clinical environment, few medical professionals receive training in best practices when using an interpreter. We designed and implemented an educational workshop on using interpreters as part of the cultural competency curriculum for second year medical students (MSIIs) at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The purpose of this study is two-fold: first, to evaluate the effectiveness of the workshop and second, if deficiencies are found, to investigate whether the deficiencies affected the quality of the patient encounter when using an interpreter. Methods: A total of 152 MSIIs completed the 3-hour workshop and a 1-station objective-structured clinical examination, 8 weeks later to assess skills. Descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests were used to assess workshop effectiveness. Results: Based on a passing score of 70%, 39.4% of the class failed. Two skills seemed particularly problematic: assuring confidentiality (missed by 50%) and positioning the interpreter (missed by 70%). While addressing confidentiality did not have a significant impact on standardized patient satisfaction, interpreter position did. Conclusion: Instructing the interpreter to sit behind the patient helps sustain eye contact between clinician and patient, while assuring confidentiality is a tenet of quality clinical encounters. Teaching students and faculty to emphasize both is warranted to improve cross-language clinical encounters