Fatigue loading characteristic for the composite steel-concrete beams

During the past few decades, composite beams (steel I beam and concrete slab) have had a wide range of uses, particularly in bridge construction. This is due to its relatively low economic cost compared to individual steel structures or reinforced concrete structures. This type of bridges in particular and many similar industrial structures in general are repeatedly subjected to fatigue loads, and that is frequently, as a result of the vehicles passing on these bridges or the vibrations caused by the machines in the industrial facilities. It has been observed during the successive studies that they have been interested in studying this problem that it is concerned with the external structural behavior of these beams  such as a load –deflection relation, observing the cracks appearing during the failure stage and the strain in the steel and concrete flanges. Hence, in this study we have focused on several factors affecting mode of failure of these beams under the fatigue loads, and the common element in all stages of failure was the shear stud, specifically the welding collar at the base of this stud as it is a structurally weak region

Performance Evaluation of Gravity Quay Walls under Seismic Loads

This study explores the seismic performance of a prototype block-type quay wall using the PLAXIS 2D software. The numerical model was forced by historical records of two earthquakes employing four soil types including sand, clay, gravel, and rock. The study investigated the influence of the earthquake seismic motion level, seismic motion configuration, peak ground acceleration (PGA) value, tidal range, and soil type on the structure behavior under the seismic action. Additionally, we assessed the accepted damage level of the structure based on the computed horizontal displacement and tilting. Results indicate that the structure behaves differently under the same seismic load conditions when changing the soil type. Larger horizontal displacements are found below the rubble base for the sandy soil case in comparison with gravel and rocky soils. Moreover, the seismic motion configuration significantly affects the structure behavior even when the PGA is unchanged. The structure is significantly affected by the seismic action when it starts suddenly with a strong acceleration during the first seconds of the earthquake when the soil is sand. However, the contrary behavior occurs for gravel and rocky soils. Results also indicate that changing the seismic motion level and the tidal range have a minor impact on the structure behavior. The most critical section is located at the toe of the rubble base. Results show that the worst and best performances of the structure are obtained with sand and gravel soils, respectively. In most conditions, a controlled damage was obtained with a tilting\u3c 1.5˚ and a normalized horizontal displacement \u3c5% for PGA values\u3c 0.5 g. Otherwise, failures would take place due to the seaward displacement of the quay wall structure

Adjuvant role of corticosteroids in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia

AbstractBackgroundDespite progress in life-support measures and antimicrobial therapy, the mortality of severe pneumonia has not varied since the mid-1990s, suggesting that other factors are of crucial importance in the evolution of this respiratory infection.ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of hydrocortisone infusion in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the attenuation of systemic inflammation and reduction of sepsis-related complications.MethodsThe study enrolled 80 patients, clinically and radiolodically diagnosed as community-acquired pneumonia, admitted to Chest department, Respiratory Intensive Care Unit, General Medicine Department and General Medicine Intensive Care Unit of Zagazig University Hospitals. Sixty of them were randomized to receive hydrocortisone as a bolus dose of 200mg intravenously once (only at day 1) then 10mg/h IV infusion for 7days and twenty received placebo, along with antibiotics according to IDSA/ATS 2007 guidelines which were given for both groups. The following parameters were compared in both groups; PaO2 and PaO2/FiO2 ratio, length of hospital stay, duration of IV antibiotic treatment, duration of mechanical ventilation, weaning success from mechanical ventilation, pneumonia complication and hospital outcome.ResultsHydrocortisone treated patients showed a significant improvement in PaO2 and PaO2/FiO2 ratio, a significant reduction in White blood cell count, C-reactive protein levels, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, a significant reduction in the duration of mechanical ventilation, duration of IV antibiotic treatment, pneumonia complications, and length of hospital stay. Also there was an improvement of hospital outcome, weaning success from mechanical ventilation and radiological resolution compared to the placebo group.ConclusionAdjunctive 7day course of low dose hydrocortisone IV in patients with CAP hastens clinical recovery and prevents the development of sepsis-related complications with a significant reduction in the duration of mechanical ventilation, duration of IV antibiotics and length of hospital stay with the improvement in hospital outcome and weaning success from mechanical ventilation

СИМУЛЯЦІЙНА ОСВІТА В ПСИХІАТРІЇ

The article proved that the reform of the education system and implementation of the autonomy of higher education institutions with the modern requirements for training future doctors are forced to search new forms and means of education. It is revealed that an important component of medical education is the clinical activity of students and the acquisition of certain of them, specified in the standard of education, competencies. Promising and closest to real conditions are the means of simulation education. Using a simulation allows formation without reducing the effectiveness of education, reduce risks for patients in teaching medical students of higher educational institutions. The article explored that through simulation techniques possible standard in safe conditions at a convenient time efficiently generate the necessary competence, particularly in non-standard and non proliferation pathologies. At present, many specialists understand stimulatory education as the use of certain simulators and mannequins, mainly for the development of the competence of emergency care. The use of stimulation education in the study of the discipline “Psychiatry, narcology” is limited to the use of simple means, especially because of the lack of simulators and mannequins. The authors of the article propose to consider simulations as simple visual means (clinical tasks, case studies, including video cases), role and business games, as well as standardized and simulated patients. It was determined that the use of various means of simulation education has begun in the modern conditions of reforming higher medical education. The most effective in teaching discipline “Psychiatry, narcology” is the use of a simulation patient. For the formation and assessment of emergency skills, it is possible to use a standardized patient.У статті доведено, що реформування системи освіти та впровадження автономії вищих навчальних закладів разом із сучасними вимогами до підготовки майбутніх лікарів примушують шукати нові форми та засоби освіти. З’ясовано, що важливим компонентом медичної освіти є клінічна діяльність студентів та набуття ними певних, зазначених у стандарті освіти, компетентностей. Перспективними та найбільш наближеними до реальних умов є засоби симуляційної освіти. Використання симуляційної освіти дозволяє, не зменшуючи ефективність освіти, зменшити можливі ризики для пацієнтів при навчанні студентів вищих медичних навчальних закладів. У статті досліджено, що завдяки симуляційним методам можливо у стандартних безпечних умовах у зручний час якісно сформувати потрібні компетентності, особливо при нетипових та нерозповсюджених патологіях. Наразі багато фахівців розуміє симуляційну освіту як використання певних тренажерів та манекенів, переважно для формування компетентностей надання невідкладної допомоги. Використання симуляційної освіти при вивченні дисципліни «Психіатрія, наркологія» обмежено використанням простих засобів, особливо через відсутність тренажерів та манекенів. Авто­ри статті пропонують у якості засобів симуляційної освіти розглядати як прості наочні засоби (клінічні задачі, кейси, в т. ч. відеокейси), рольові та ділові ігри, так і стандартизованих та симулятивних пацієнтів. Визначено, що використання різноманітних засобів симуляційної освіти вже розпочате в сучасних умовах реформування вищої медичної освіти. Найбільш ефективним у викладанні дисципліни «Психіатрія, наркологія» є використання симулятивного пацієнта. Для формування та оцінювання навичок з невідкладної допомоги можливе використання стандартизованого пацієнта

ВИКЛАДАННЯ ДИСЦИПЛІНИ “ОСНОВИ ПСИХОЛОГІЇ”: СУЧАСНИЙ СТАН ТА ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ

The aim of the work – assessment of the students’ needs in the discipline of Bases of Psychology and the search for ways to restore the teaching of this discipline in the context of the strategy of medical education development in Ukraine. The main body. Ukraine’s medical education has to prepare high-level specialists to provide quality medical care. The list of educational disciplines and competencies is approved by the standards of medical education. The current standard had moved the discipline of Basics of Psychology to students in the field of knowledge Health 22, in specialty of Medicine 222, Stomatology 221 from compulsory disciplines to disciplines that should be selected. The article provides data on the survey of 482 students of the III and IV courses trained in the specialty of Medicine, in particular 113 students – citizens of other countries who studied this discipline according to the previous standard. Most of the polled students (98.5 %) believe that in the higher medical school needs to study the discipline of Basics of Psychology, and 81.3 % of the respondents claim that this discipline should be mandatory. Conclusions. The study concluded that there was a need for a timely revision of the standards of higher education, in particular taking into account the views of students, and proposed to return the discipline of Basics of Psychology to compulsory disciplines.Мета роботи – оцінка потреби студентів у викладанні дисципліни “Основи психології” та пошук шляхів відновлення викладання цієї дисципліни в розрізі стратегії розвитку медичної освіти в Україні. Основна частина. Медична освіта України має готувати фахівців високого рівня заради забезпечення громадян якісною медичною допомогою. Перелік навчальних дисциплін і, відповідно, компетентностей затверджується стандартами медичної освіти. Діючий наразі стандарт перевів дисципліну “Основи психології” для студентів у галузі знань 22 “Охорона здоров’я”, за фахом 222 “Медицина”, 221 “Стоматологія” з обов’язкової до дисциплін за вибором. У статті наводяться дані опитування 482 студентів ІІІ та ІV курсів, які навчаються за спеціальністю “Лікувальна справа”, зокрема 113 студентів – громадян інших країн, які вивчали цю дисципліну ще за попереднім стандартом. Переважна більшість опитаних (98,5 %) вважає, що у вищому медичному навчальному закладі потрібно вивчати дисципліну “Основи психології”, а 81,3 % опитаних стверджують, що ця дисципліна має бути обов’язковою до вивчення. Висновок. За результатами дослідження зроблено висновок про необхідність вчасного перегляду стандартів вищої освіти, зокре­ма з урахуванням думок студентів, та запропоновано повернути дисципліну “Основи психології” до обов’язкових дисциплін

Crude Coal Tar and Ultraviolet (UV) A radiation (Modified Goeckerman Technique) in Treatment of Psoriasis

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis that has a substantial impact on the quality of life. Goeckerman\u27s technique (GT) has been recruited for the treatment of psoriasis with high clearance rates and long periods of remission.Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis that has a substantial impact on the quality of life. Goeckerman’s technique (GT) has been implemented for the treatment of psoriasis with high clearance rates and long periods of remission. The objective of this article was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of modified GT (crude coal tar 2.5% plus UVA) as an alternative therapeutic modality for psoriatic patients with skin types III-V. Twenty two patients with moderate, severe, and erythrodermic psoriasis were included in this study. All patients received modified GT (crude coal tar 2.5% plus UVA) six days per week for a period of 3 months. Assessment of the rate of reduction of psoriasis area severity index (PASI) was performed, as well as photographic documentation of each patient at baseline and after completion of therapy. There was a significant reduction in PASI scores after therapy in all patients (P=0.001). The rate of PASI reduction after therapy was &gt;50% in 63.6% of patients; 27.3% of patients achieved &gt;75% reduction and 9.1% of patients achieved 26-50% reduction. No serious side effects were reported in any of the patients. Modified GT is a safe and effective therapeutic option for patients with moderate and severe psoriasis.</p

Evaluation of some biological activities of Abelia triflora R Br (Caprifoliaceae) constituents

Purpose: To investigate the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic,  cardiovascular and cytotoxic activities of the leaf extract and major compounds isolated from Abelia triflora R. Br. (Caprifoliaceae)Methods: The chloroform soluble fraction of A. triflora leaves was subjected to several column chromatographic separations to isolate its constituents.  Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities were determined in terms of the ability to inhibit NF-kB, iNOS activity and lipoxygenase enzyme, and to decrease oxidative stress in HepG2 cells. Antidiabetic and cardiovascular activities were determined by screening for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) and PPARɣ agonistic activities. In vitro cytotoxic activity was determined against a set of four human cancer cell lines (SK-MEL, KB, BT-549, SK-OV-3) and two  non-cancerous kidney cell lines (LLC-PK1 and VERO). Cell viability was measured by neutral red assay.Results: Three triterpene acids were isolated from the chloroform fraction namely; ursolic acid (4), 2, 3-dihydroxy ursolic acid (5) and 2, 3, 21-trihydroxy ursolic acid (6). The results showed that ursolic acid exhibited potent inhibition of lipoxygenase enzyme and iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase) activity with IC50 (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) value of 13.0 μg/mL, compared to parthenolide positive standard (IC50, 0.3μg/mL); furthermore, it inhibited NF-kB (nuclear factor-kappa B) with IC50 of 25.0 μg/mL, compared to parthenolide (positive standard, (IC50, 0.5 μg/mL). Also, ursolic acid possessed the highest cytotoxic effect against the three cell lines, SK-MEL (IC50, 14.5 μg/mL), BT-549 (IC50, 16.0 μg/mL) and SK-OV-3 (IC50, 12.5 μg/mL). Only 2,3-dihydroxy ursolic acid activated PPARɣ (1.5-fold at 25 μM), compared to rosiglitazone (positive standard, 3.7 fold at 10 μM)Conclusion: Among the investigated compounds, ursolic acid exhibited the highest anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activities, while 2,3-dihydroxy ursolic acid demonstrated antidiabetic activity via activation of PPARɣ.Keywords: Abelia triflora, Anti-inflammatory, Antidiabetic, Cardiovascular activity, Antioxidant, Cytotoxi

Relation of Leptin Gene Polymorphism to the Circulating Leptin, Insulin, Estradiol, and Progesterone Hormones in Mares with High Rump Fat

Equine metabolic syndrome is a growing concern usually associated with increased insulin and leptin concentrations. To investigate the relations of obesity determined by measuring the rump fat (RF) with ovarian hormones, leptin, and leptin gene polymorphism, cyclic mares (n=36) were categorized based on RF thickness estimated by the ultrasonography and body condition score (BCS) into obese (RF&gt;5mm; BCS &gt;5), moderate (RF&gt;3≤5 mm;BCS &gt;3≤5) and lean animals (RF&lt;3mm; BCS&lt;3). The circulating estradiol, progesterone, insulin, and leptin were analyzed. The polymorphism of the leptin gene was performed and compared for obese, moderate and lean mares. Depending on increased RF, the obesity was associated with increased BCS (P&lt;0.0001) and leptin (P&lt;0.0001), insulin (P&lt;0.01), and P4 (P&lt;0.0001). Obese mares of leptin genotype BB had the highest leptin (1146±420 pg/ml), insulin (7.42±0.89 μU/l) and progesterone (22.69±9.34 ng/ml), but minimum estradiol (101±54 pg/ml) concentrations. Mares of leptin genotype AA had the highest RF (P&lt;0.0001). The interaction of leptin genotype and obesity had affected RF and all hormone concentrations with no significant effect on the BCS. In conclusion, obesity in cyclic mares altered ovarian hormones, insulin and leptin concentrations. The hyperleptinemia, and hyperinsulinemia were associated with the leptin genotype BB but neither to the adiposity (RF) nor BCS