Исследование и разработка гистерезисных электрических машин на основе деформируемого сплава Fe-Cr-Co

В ходе научно-квалификационной работы исследован материал ротора синхронного гистерезисного двигателя (СГД) из сплава 22Х15КА ГОСТ 24897-81. Получены динамические магнитные характеристики сплава на частотах перемагничивания от 50 Гц до 2 кГц. Представлены результаты исследования СГД в программной среде AnsysMaxwell 2D/3D.In the course of the scientific and qualifying work, the rotor material of the synchronous hysteresis motor from alloy 22Х15КА GOST 24897-81 was investigated. Dynamic magnetic characteristics of the alloy at the magnetization reversal frequencies from 50 Hz to 2 kHz are obtained. The results of the study of a synchronous hysteresis motor in the software environment of AnsysMaxwell 2D / 3D are presented

Secular Trends in Nosocomial Bloodstream Infections: Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Increase the Total Burden of Infection

In this international study, we demonstrate that increasing rates of nosocomial bloodstream infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria do not replace infections caused by antibiotic-susceptible bacteria, but occur in addition to these infections, thereby increasing the total burden of diseas

Viral and bacterial aetiology of community-acquired pneumonia in adults

BACKGROUND: Modern molecular techniques reveal new information on the role of respiratory viruses in community-acquired pneumonia. In this study, we tried to determine the prevalence of respiratory viruses and bacteria in patients with community-acquired pneumonia who were admitted to the hospital. METHODS: Between April 2008 and April 2009, 408 adult patients (aged between 20 and 94 years) with community-acquired pneumonia were tested for the presence of respiratory pathogens using bacterial cultures, real-time PCR for viruses and bacteria, urinary antigen testing for Legionella and Pneumococci and serology for the presence of viral and bacterial pathogens. RESULTS: Pathogens were identified in 263 (64·5%) of the 408 patients. The most common single organisms in these 263 patients were Streptococcus pneumoniae (22·8%), Coxiella burnetii (6·8%) and influenza A virus (3·8%). Of the 263 patients detected with pathogens, 117 (44·5%) patients were positive for one or more viral pathogens. Of these 117 patients, 52 (44·4%) had no bacterial pathogen. Multiple virus infections (≥2) were found in 16 patients. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, respiratory viruses are frequently found in patients with CAP and may therefore play an important role in the aetiology of this disease

Investigation into the Role of Tumor-Associated Macrophages in the Antitumor Activity of Doxil

Purpose. Our recent studies show specific localization of long-circulating liposomes (LCL) within the endosomal/lysosomal compartment of tumor-associated macrophages (TAM). Based on this finding, the present study aims to investigate whether clinically applied LCL formulations such as Doxil (LCLencapsulated doxorubicin), have alternative mechanisms of action additionally to direct drug-mediated cytotoxicity towards tumor cells. Methods. The antitumor activity of Doxil was evaluated in B16.F10 melanoma-bearing mice, in the presence and in the absence of TAM. To suppress TAM functions, liposomal clodronate (Lip-CLOD) was injected 24 h before the actual treatment. The effect of Doxil on the levels of angiogenic factors was determined using an angiogenic protein array. As positive control, the same experiments were conducted with LCL-encapsulated prednisolone phosphate (LCL-PLP), a tumor-targeted formulation with known strong anti-angiogenic/anti-inflammatory effects on TAM. Results. Our results show that the antitumor efficacy of Doxil was only partially attributed to the inhibition of TAM-mediated angiogenesis whereas LCL-PLP inhibited tumor growth through strong suppressive effects on pro-angiogenic functions of TAM. As described previously, the main mechanism of Doxil might be a cytotoxic effect on tumor cells. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that the antitumor activity of Doxil does not depend mainly on the presence of functional TAM in tumors

Perspectives on care and communication involving incurably ill Turkish and Moroccan patients, relatives and professionals: a systematic literature review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Our aim was to obtain a clearer picture of the relevant care experiences and care perceptions of incurably ill Turkish and Moroccan patients, their relatives and professional care providers, as well as of communication and decision-making patterns at the end of life. The ultimate objective is to improve palliative care for Turkish and Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands, by taking account of socio-cultural factors in the guidelines for palliative care.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A systematic literature review was undertaken. The data sources were seventeen national and international literature databases, four Dutch journals dedicated to palliative care and 37 websites of relevant national and international organizations. All the references found were checked to see whether they met the structured inclusion criteria. Inclusion was limited to publications dealing with primary empirical research on the relationship between socio-cultural factors and the health or care situation of Turkish or Moroccan patients with an oncological or incurable disease. The selection was made by first reading the titles and abstracts and subsequently the full texts. The process of deciding which studies to include was carried out by two reviewers independently. A generic appraisal instrument was applied to assess the methodological quality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fifty-seven studies were found that reported findings for the countries of origin (mainly Turkey) and the immigrant host countries (mainly the Netherlands). The central themes were experiences and perceptions of family care, professional care, end-of-life care and communication. Family care is considered a duty, even when such care becomes a severe burden for the main female family caregiver in particular. Professional hospital care is preferred by many of the patients and relatives because they are looking for a cure and security. End-of-life care is strongly influenced by the continuing hope for recovery. Relatives are often quite influential in end-of-life decisions, such as the decision to withdraw or withhold treatments. The diagnosis, prognosis and end-of-life decisions are seldom discussed with the patient, and communication about pain and mental problems is often limited. Language barriers and the dominance of the family may exacerbate communication problems.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This review confirms the view that family members of patients with a Turkish or Moroccan background have a central role in care, communication and decision making at the end of life. This, in combination with their continuing hope for the patient’s recovery may inhibit open communication between patients, relatives and professionals as partners in palliative care. This implies that organizations and professionals involved in palliative care should take patients’ socio-cultural characteristics into account and incorporate cultural sensitivity into care standards and care practices<it>.</it></p

Widespread recovery of methylation at gametic imprints in hypomethylated mouse stem cells following rescue with DNMT3A2

BACKGROUND: Imprinted loci are paradigms of epigenetic regulation and are associated with a number of genetic disorders in human. A key characteristic of imprints is the presence of a gametic differentially methylated region (gDMR). Previous studies have indicated that DNA methylation lost from gDMRs could not be restored by DNMT1, or the de novo enzymes DNMT3A or 3B in stem cells, indicating that imprinted regions must instead undergo passage through the germline for reprogramming. However, previous studies were non-quantitative, were unclear on the requirement for DNMT3A/B and showed some inconsistencies. In addition, new putative gDMR has recently been described, along with an improved delineation of the existing gDMR locations. We therefore aimed to re-examine the dependence of methylation at gDMRs on the activities of the methyltransferases in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). RESULTS: We examined the most complete current set of imprinted gDMRs that could be assessed using quantitative pyrosequencing assays in two types of ESCs: those lacking DNMT1 (1KO) and cells lacking a combination of DNMT3A and DNMT3B (3abKO). We further verified results using clonal analysis and combined bisulfite and restriction analysis. Our results showed that loss of methylation was approximately equivalent in both cell types. 1KO cells rescued with a cDNA-expressing DNMT1 could not restore methylation at the imprinted gDMRs, confirming some previous observations. However, nearly all gDMRs were remethylated in 3abKO cells rescued with a DNMT3A2 expression construct (3abKO + 3a2). Transcriptional activity at the H19/Igf2 locus also tracked with the methylation pattern, confirming functional reprogramming in the latter. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested (1) a vital role for DNMT3A/B in methylation maintenance at imprints, (2) that loss of DNMT1 and DNMT3A/B had equivalent effects, (3) that rescue with DNMT3A2 can restore imprints in these cells. This may provide a useful system in which to explore factors influencing imprint reprogramming. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13072-016-0104-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Reporting of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in the Netherlands: descriptive study

Background: An important principle underlying the Dutch Euthanasia Act is physicians' responsibility to alleviate patients' suffering. The Dutch Act states that euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are not punishable if the attending physician acts in accordance with criteria of due care. These criteria concern the patient's request, the patient's suffering (unbearable and hopeless), the information provided to the patient, the presence of reasonable alternatives, consultation of another physician and the applied method of ending life. To demonstrate their compliance, the Act requires physicians to report euthanasia to a review committee. We studied which arguments Dutch physicians use to substantiate their adherence to the criteria and which aspects attract review committees' attention. Methods: We examined 158 files of reported euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide cases that were approved by the review committees. We studied the physicians' reports and the verdicts of the review committees by using a checklist. Results: Physicians reported that the patient's request had been well-considered because the patient was clear-headed (65%) and/or had repeated the request several times (23%). Unbearable suffering was often substantiated with physical symptoms (62%), function loss (33%), dependency (28%) or deterioration (15%). In 35%, physicians reported that there had been alternatives to relieve patients' suffering which were refused by the majority. The nature of the relationship with the consultant was sometimes unclear: the consultant was reported to have been an unknown colleague (39%), a known colleague (21%), otherwise (25%), or not clearly specified in the report (24%). Review committees relatively often scrutinized the consultation (41%) and the patient's (unbearable) suffering (32%); they had few questions about possible alternatives (1%). Conclusion: Dutch physicians substantiate their adherence to the criteria in a variable way with an emphasis on physical symptoms. The information they provide is in most cases sufficient to enable adequate review. Review committees' control seems to focus on (unbearable) suffering and on procedural issues