Simple Febrile Seizure: The Role of Serum Sodium Levels in Prediction of Seizure Recurrence during the First 24 Hours

ObjectiveSimple febrile seizures are the most common form of childhood seizures,often recurring within the first twenty-four hours. This study was conducted to determine the probable role of low serum  sodium levels in predicting seizure recurrence in febrile children.Materials & MethodsFor the study, 226 patients with seizures, aged between 6 months to 5 years, were divided into 3 groups of simple febrile seizure, simple febrile seizure with recurrence, and the control group of afebrile patients with seizures. For all groups, serum sodium levels were evaluated.ResultsThe mean age of our cases, predominantly male, was 22 months. No significant difference was observed in the serum sodium levels between the simple febrile seizure and the simple febrile seizure with recurrence groups (P value 0.465); however a significant relative hyponatremia was observed in the simple febrile seizure group as compared to the afebrile seizure control group (P value: 0.016).ConclusionBased on the findings, although serum sodium levels cannot assist in prediction of recurrence of simple febrile seizures in children, relative hyponatremia may predispose the febrile child to occurrence of simple febrile seizure.

Epidural dexamethasone for postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing unilateral inguinal herniorrhaphy: A comparative study

Background. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of adding dexamethasone to epidural bupivacaine on postoperative analgesia in unilateral inguinal herniorrhaphy. Methods. Forty-four patients were enrolled in this double-blind, clinical trial study. Patients were randomly allocated into dexamethasone or control group. In the dexamethasone group, patients received 18ml of bupivacaine 0.5% and 2ml (8mg) of dexamethasone; in the control group, patients received 18ml of bupivacaine 0.5% and 2ml of normal saline. The onset of sensory block and its duration and incidence of nausea and vomiting were recorded. Results. The onset of epidural anesthesia was significantly more rapid in the dexamethasone group than in the control group (P < 0.001). Duration of analgesia was markedly prolonged in the dexamethasone group than in the control group (P < 0.001). Five patients (22.7%) in the control group had nausea in the first hour after the procedure (P = 0.048). None of the patients in the dexamethasone group had nausea. None of our patients had vomiting in the two groups. Conclusions. This study showed that adding dexamethasone to bupivacaine significantly prolongs the duration of postoperative analgesia

Developing a measure of blind patients\u27 interactions with their healthcare providers

Background: People who are blind (PWB) are often perceived as being incompetent with common tasks and functions. When patients detect that their healthcare providers (HCPs) have negative perceptions of them, they often report less satisfaction with their healthcare and disengage in their own healthcare. Objective: A scale assessing the experiences of PWB interacting with HCPs was developed and validated across two studies. Methods: In Study 1, 144 participants completed the scale and provided feedback. In Study 2, 214 participants completed the scale and 4 additional scales to assess construct validity. Results: An exploratory factor analysis in Study 1 revealed a two-factor model consisting of General Quality of Health Care (30.5% variance explained) and Stereotype Content-related items (9.4% variance explained). Study 2 confirmed and validated this two-factor structure (RMSEA (90% CI) = 0.068 (0.057, 0.079), CFI = 0.898, SRMR = 0.066, AIC = 14568.902). Conclusions: This scale is one of the first tools developed from the perspectives of PWB. Results from these studies highlight and elaborate on how PWB perceive that they are viewed by their HCPs in terms of competence and how they perceive to be treated by these HCPs. This scale can be used in training HCPs to better serve their patients with disabilities

Evaluation of Mechanical and Chemical Parameters of Okra with Chitosan Coating in Nano Packaging Films and Atmospheric Modified Conditions

IntroductionThe quick deterioration of fruit and vegetables has led researchers to find a solution to increase the shelf life. Foodstuff packaging is a vital technology to maintain freshness, prevent deterioration, and physiological and mechanical damages, and increase the shelf life of fresh products. Employing various post-harvest technologies prevent light, heat, and humidity transmission and control the microorganism activity, thereby reducing the cost and maintaining the quality of fresh and processed products during storage. Fresh okra has a shelf life of 10 days and is stored at 1-10°C due to high respiration rate and moisture loss. Today, the use of nanotechnology in the packaging industry is developed and expanded. The aim of the packaging is to increase the shelf life and prevent bacterial and shipping damages, as well as control the humidity and gases transmission, thereby reducing food spoilage. Modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) is one of the famous methods for increasing the shelf life of fresh products in which the aging process is reduced by increasing CO2 and decreasing. Decreasing the respiration rate, producing ethylene, and metabolic reactions in the modified atmosphere lead to a reduction in product deterioration. The use of coatings and edible films is being increased in order to maintain sensitive features like flavors, fragrances, and the appearance of different products and increase the shelf time of fruits and vegetables. Chitosan edible coating is a non-fragrance and non-flavor polysaccharide with a high molecular weight that is widely used because of its antifungal, biological, and biochemical properties. Chitosan is a natural polymer obtained from chitin, which is abundantly found in crustacean shells. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of packaging films and chitosan coating under the modified atmosphere storage condition on qualitative and quantitative parameters of okra during storage.Materials and MethodsThe process of present research was performed in the Laboratory of Mechanical Properties and Rheology of the Biosystem Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, in 2016. Okra cv. Kano Dwarf was selected due to its short post-harvest life and provided by farms in Kermanshah Province. Okras were handpicked and they were free of any spots, contamination, or decay, with the almost same size and shape, without any mechanical and microbial damage. The treatments of the present study were chitosan covering, modified atmosphere by a gas mixture of 5% O2 + 10 CO2 + 85% N2, three types of packaging films including silicone nano-emulsion (Nano Bespar Aytak Co.), nano-polyethylene, and light polyethylene (LFO200), as well as two temperature levels of 1 ± 4°C (refrigerator) and 1 ± 25°C (room temperature). The influence of modified atmospheric treatments, chitosan coatings, and packaging films at two storage temperatures on chemical factors (pH and TSS) and mechanical properties including shear stress (TB), shear force (FB), shear modulus (GK) were evaluated at the end of 12 days of storage in a completely randomized design with a factorial experiment in three replications on Okra.Results and DiscussionAmong the films used, silicon nano emulsion film and chitosan coating were more able to maintain TSS. The pH value decreased due to the control of respiratory rate and corruption under modified atmospheric conditions. The mechanical properties of the samples showed that the shear stress changes of the coated sample were significantly less than the untreated ones compared to the beginning of the maintenance period. The sample stored at 4°C had less shear force during the storage period than similar specimens at 25°C. The modified atmosphere caused the shear modulus to decrease with increasing storage time compared to the beginning of the storage period.ConclusionThe results of the present research revealed that silicon nano-emulsion film has a higher capability in preserving the qualitative and quantitative properties of okra compared to other studied films. Between the two studied temperatures, 4°C storage temperature had better performance in preserving qualitative and quantitative properties of the okra compared to 25°C. The controlled atmosphere increases okra's shelf life due to reduced respiration rate. In general, maintenance of the products in a modified atmosphere package preserves the quality of the products and extends their shelf life

HSP70/IL-2 treated NK cells effectively cross the blood brain barrier and target tumor cells in a rat model of induced glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)

Natural killer (NK) cell therapy is one of the most promising treatments for Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). However, this emerging technology is limited by the availability of sufficient numbers of fully functional cells. Here, we investigated the efficacy of NK cells that were expanded and treated by interleukin-2 (IL-2) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), both in vitro and in vivo. Proliferation and cytotoxicity assays were used to assess the functionality of NK cells in vitro, after which treated and naïve NK cells were administrated intracranially and systemically to compare the potential antitumor activities in our in vivo rat GBM models. In vitro assays provided strong evidence of NK cell efficacy against C6 tumor cells. In vivo tracking of NK cells showed efficient homing around and within the tumor site. Furthermore, significant amelioration of the tumor in rats treated with HSP70/Il-2-treated NK cells as compared to those subjected to nontreated NK cells, as confirmed by MRI, proved the efficacy of adoptive NK cell therapy. Moreover, results obtained with systemic injection confirmed migration of activated NK cells over the blood brain barrier and subsequent targeting of GBM tumor cells. Our data suggest that administration of HSP70/Il-2-treated NK cells may be a promising therapeutic approach to be considered in the treatment of GBM. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Dose-response effect of Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 on whole gut transit time and functional gastrointestinal symptoms in adults

Objective. To assess the impact of Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 supplementation on whole gut transit time (WGTT) and frequency of functional gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in adults. Material and methods. We randomized 100 subjects (mean age: 44 years; 64% female) with functional GI symptoms to consume a proprietary probiotic strain, B. lactis HN019 (Fonterra Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand), at daily doses of 17.2 billion colony forming units (CFU) (high dose; n = 33), 1.8 billion CFU (low dose; n = 33), or placebo (n = 34) for 14 days. The primary endpoint of WGTT was assessed by X-ray on days 0 and 14 and was preceded by consumption of radiopaque markers once a day for 6 days. The secondary endpoint of functional GI symptom frequency was recorded with a subject-reported numeric (1–100) scale before and after supplementation. Results. Decreases in mean WGTT over the 14-day study period were statistically significant in the high dose group (49 ± 30 to 21 ± 32 h, p < 0.001) and the low dose group (60 ± 33 to 41 ± 39 h, p = 0.01), but not in the placebo group (43 ± 31 to 44 ± 33 h). Time to excretion of all ingested markers was significantly shorter in the treatment groups versus placebo. Of the nine functional GI symptoms investigated, eight significantly decreased in frequency in the high dose group and seven decreased with low dose, while two decreased in the placebo group. No adverse events were reported in any group. Conclusions. Daily B. lactis HN019 supplementation is well tolerated, decreases WGTT in a dose-dependent manner, and reduces the frequency of functional GI symptoms in adults

Closed-Loop Recycling of Copper from Waste Printed Circuit Boards Using Bioleaching and Electrowinning Processes

International audienceIn the present study, a model of closed-loop recycling of copper from PCBs is demonstrated, which involves the sequential application of bioleaching and electrowinning to selectively extract copper. This approach is proposed as part of the solution to resolve the challenging ever-increasing accumulation of electronic waste, e-waste, in the environment. This work is targeting copper, the most abundant metal in e-waste that represents up to 20% by weight of printed circuit boards (PCBs). In the first stage, bioleaching was tested for different pulp densities (0.25–1.00% w/v) and successfully used to extract multiple metals from PCBs using the acidophilic bacterium, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. In the second stage, the method focused on the recovery of copper from the bioleachate by electrowinning. Metallic copper foils were formed, and the results demonstrated that 75.8% of copper available in PCBs had been recovered as a high quality copper foil, with 99 + % purity, as determined by energy dispersive X-ray analysis and Inductively-Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry. This model of copper extraction, combining bioleaching and electrowinning, demonstrates a closed-loop method of recycling that illustrates the application of bioleaching in the circular economy. The copper foils have the potential to be reused, to form new, high value copper clad laminate for the production of complex printed circuit boards for the electronics manufacturing industry. Graphic Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2020, The Author(s)

Iranian joint registry (iranian national hip and knee arthroplasty registry)

Periodic evaluation and monitoring the health and economic outcome of joint replacement surgery is a common and popular process under the territory of joint registries in many countries. In this article we introduce the methodology used for the foundation of the National Iranian Joint Registry (IJR) with a joint collaboration of the Social Security Organization (SSO) and academic research departments considering the requirements of the Iran's Ministry of Health and Education. ©BY THE ARCHIVES OF BONE AND JOINT SURGERY

TG‐69: Radiographic film for megavoltage beam dosimetry

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134818/1/mp6779.pd