126 research outputs found

    Characterising the KMP-11 and HSP-70 recombinant antigens' humoral immune response profile in chagasic patients

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    11 pages, 6 figures.-- The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/9/186/pre pubBackground: Antigen specificity and IgG subclass could be significant in the natural history of Chagas' disease. The relationship between the different stages of human Chagas' disease and the profiles of total IgG and its subclasses were thus analysed here; they were directed against a crude T. cruzi extract and three recombinant antigens: the T. cruzi kinetoplastid membrane protein-11 (rKMP-11), an internal fragment of the T. cruzi HSP-70 protein192-433, and the entire Trypanosoma rangeli HSP-70 protein. Methods: Seventeen Brazilian acute chagasic patients, 50 Colombian chronic chagasic patients (21 indeterminate and 29 cardiopathic patients) and 30 healthy individuals were included. Total IgG and its subtypes directed against the above-mentioned recombinant antigens were determined by ELISA tests. Results: The T. cruzi KMP-11 and T. rangeli HSP-70 recombinant proteins were able to distinguish both acute from chronic chagasic patients and infected people from healthy individuals. Specific antibodies to T. cruzi crude antigen in acute patients came from IgG3 and IgG4 subclasses whereas IgG1 and IgG3 were the prevalent isotypes in indeterminate and chronic chagasic patients. By contrast, the specific prominent antibodies in all disease stages against T. cruzi KMP-11 and T. rangeli HSP-70 recombinant antigens were the IgG1 subclass.This work was supported by Colciencias Research project No. 1203-333- 18692. IDF was supported by Colciencias and the Universidad Javeriana's Young Researcher 2008 Programme (Bogotá, Colombia). MCT and MCL were supported by P06-CTS-02242 Grant from PAI (Junta de Andalucia) and RICET-RD06/0021-0014, Spain. MS received financial support from the Brazilian agency - CNPq.Peer reviewe

    Feasibility study of an internally cooled bipolar applicator for RF coagulation of hepatic tissue: Experimental and computational study

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    Purpose: To study the capacity of an internally cooled radiofrequency (RF) bipolar applicator to create sufficiently deep thermal lesions in hepatic tissue. Materials and methods: Three complementary methodologies were employed to check the electrical and thermal behaviour of the applicator under test. The experimental studies were based on excised bovine (ex vivo study) and porcine liver (in vivo study) and the theoretical models were solved by means of the finite element method (FEM). Results: Experimental and computational results showed good agreement in terms of impedance progress and lesion depth (4 and 4.5 mm respectively for ex vivo conditions, and approximately 7 and 9 mm respectively for in vivo conditions), although the lesion widths were overestimated by the computer simulations. This could have been due to the method used to assess the thermal lesions; the experimental lesions were assessed by the white coagulation zone, whereas the tissue damage function was used to assess the computational lesions. Conclusions: The experimental results suggest that this applicator could create in vivo lesions to a depth of around 7mm. It was also observed that the thermal lesion is mainly confined to the area between both electrodes, which would allow lesion width to be controlled by selecting a specific applicator design. The comparison between the experimental and computational results suggests that the theoretical model could be usefully applied in further studies of the performance of this device. © 2012 Informa UK Ltd All rights reserved.This work received financial support from the Spanish Plan Nacional de I+D+I del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion TEC2011-27133-C02-(01 and 02), from Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (INNOVA11-01-5502; and PAID-06-11 Ref. 1988). A. Gonzalez-Suarez is the recipient of grant VaLi+D (ACIF/2011/194) from the Generalitat Valenciana. The proof-reading of this paper was funded by the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Spain. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.González Suárez, A.; Trujillo Guillen, M.; Burdío Pinilla, F.; Andaluz Martínez, AM.; Berjano Zanón, E. (2012). Feasibility study of an internally cooled bipolar applicator for RF coagulation of hepatic tissue: Experimental and computational study. International Journal of Hyperthermia. 28(7):663-673. https://doi.org/10.3109/02656736.2012.716900S663673287Topp, S. A., McClurken, M., Lipson, D., Upadhya, G. A., Ritter, J. H., Linehan, D., & Strasberg, S. M. (2004). Saline-Linked Surface Radiofrequency Ablation. Annals of Surgery, 239(4), 518-527. doi:10.1097/01.sla.0000118927.83650.a4Gnerlich, J. L., Ritter, J. H., Linehan, D. C., Hawkins, W. G., & Strasberg, S. M. (2009). Saline-Linked Surface Radiofrequency Ablation. Annals of Surgery, 250(1), 96-102. doi:10.1097/sla.0b013e3181ae91afSakamoto, Y., Yamamoto, J., Kokudo, N., Seki, M., Kosuge, T., Yamaguchi, T., … Makuuchi, M. (2004). Bloodless liver resection using the Monopolar Floating Ball plus Ligasure diathermy: Preliminary results of 16 liver resections. World Journal of Surgery, 28(2), 166-172. doi:10.1007/s00268-003-7167-5Poon, R. T., Fan, S. T., & Wong, J. (2005). Liver resection using a saline-linked radiofrequency dissecting sealer for transection of the liver. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 200(2), 308-313. doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2004.10.008EVERETT IV, T. H., LEE, K. W., WILSON, E. E., GUERRA, J. M., VAROSY, P. D., & OLGIN, J. E. (2008). Safety Profiles and Lesion Size of Different Radiofrequency Ablation Technologies: A Comparison of Large Tip, Open and Closed Irrigation Catheters. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 20(3), 325-335. doi:10.1111/j.1540-8167.2008.01305.xYokoyama, K., Nakagawa, H., Wittkampf, F. H. M., Pitha, J. V., Lazzara, R., & Jackman, W. M. (2006). Comparison of Electrode Cooling Between Internal and Open Irrigation in Radiofrequency Ablation Lesion Depth and Incidence of Thrombus and Steam Pop. Circulation, 113(1), 11-19. doi:10.1161/circulationaha.105.540062Demazumder, D., Mirotznik, M. S., & Schwartzman, D. (2001). Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology, 5(4), 391-400. doi:10.1023/a:1013241927388Cooper, J. M., Sapp, J. L., Tedrow, U., Pellegrini, C. P., Robinson, D., Epstein, L. M., & Stevenson, W. G. (2004). Ablation with an internally irrigated radiofrequency catheter: Learning how to avoid steam pops. Heart Rhythm, 1(3), 329-333. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2004.04.019Burdío, F., Grande, L., Berjano, E., Martinez-Serrano, M., Poves, I., Burdío, J. M., … Güemes, A. (2010). A new single-instrument technique for parenchyma division and hemostasis in liver resection: a clinical feasibility study. The American Journal of Surgery, 200(6), e75-e80. doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2010.02.020Ríos, J. S., Zalabardo, J. M. S., Burdio, F., Berjano, E., Moros, M., Gonzalez, A., … Güemes, A. (2011). Single Instrument for Hemostatic Control in Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy in a Porcine Model Without Renal Vascular Clamping. Journal of Endourology, 25(6), 1005-1011. doi:10.1089/end.2010.0557Dorcaratto, D., Burdío, F., Fondevila, D., Andaluz, A., Poves, I., Martinez, M. A., … Grande, L. (2012). Laparoscopic Distal Pancreatectomy: Feasibility Study of Radiofrequency-Assisted Transection in a Porcine Model. Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques, 22(3), 242-248. doi:10.1089/lap.2011.0417Zeh, A., Messer, J., Davis, J., Vasarhelyi, A., & Wohlrab, D. (2010). The Aquamantys System—An Alternative To Reduce Blood Loss in Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty? The Journal of Arthroplasty, 25(7), 1072-1077. doi:10.1016/j.arth.2009.10.008Sprunger, J., & Herrell, S. D. (2005). Partial Laparoscopic Nephrectomy Using Monopolar Saline-Coupled Radiofrequency Device: Animal Model and Tissue Effect Characterization. Journal of Endourology, 19(4), 513-519. doi:10.1089/end.2005.19.513Voeller, R. K., Zierer, A., Lall, S. C., Sakamoto, S., Schuessler, R. B., & Damiano, R. J. (2010). Efficacy of a novel bipolar radiofrequency ablation device on the beating heart for atrial fibrillation ablation: A long-term porcine study. The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 140(1), 203-208. doi:10.1016/j.jtcvs.2009.06.034Pai, M., Spalding, D., Jiao, L., & Habib, N. (2012). Use of Bipolar Radiofrequency in Parenchymal Transection of the Liver, Pancreas and Kidney. Digestive Surgery, 29(1), 43-47. doi:10.1159/000335732Berjano, E. J. (2006). BioMedical Engineering OnLine, 5(1), 24. doi:10.1186/1475-925x-5-24Tungjitkusolmun, S., Staelin, S. T., Haemmerich, D., Jang-Zern Tsai, Hong Cao, Webster, J. G., … Vorperian, V. R. (2002). Three-dimensional finite-element analyses for radio-frequency hepatic tumor ablation. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 49(1), 3-9. doi:10.1109/10.972834Doss, J. D. (1982). Calculation of electric fields in conductive media. Medical Physics, 9(4), 566-573. doi:10.1118/1.595107Abraham, J. P., & Sparrow, E. M. (2007). A thermal-ablation bioheat model including liquid-to-vapor phase change, pressure- and necrosis-dependent perfusion, and moisture-dependent properties. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 50(13-14), 2537-2544. doi:10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2006.11.045Jo, B., & Aksan, A. (2010). Prediction of the extent of thermal damage in the cornea during conductive keratoplasty. Journal of Thermal Biology, 35(4), 167-174. doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2010.02.004Pearce, J., Panescu, D., & Thomsen, S. (2005). Simulation of diopter changes in radio frequency conductive keratoplasty in the cornea. Modelling in Medicine and Biology VI. doi:10.2495/bio050451Yang, D., Converse, M. C., Mahvi, D. M., & Webster, J. G. (2007). Expanding the Bioheat Equation to Include Tissue Internal Water Evaporation During Heating. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 54(8), 1382-1388. doi:10.1109/tbme.2007.890740Zhao, G., Zhang, H.-F., Guo, X.-J., Luo, D.-W., & Gao, D.-Y. (2007). Effect of blood flow and metabolism on multidimensional heat transfer during cryosurgery. Medical Engineering & Physics, 29(2), 205-215. doi:10.1016/j.medengphy.2006.03.005Pätz T, Körger T, Preusser T, Simulation of radiofrequency ablation including water evaporation. In: IFMBE Proceedings of the World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering 25/IV, 2009, 1287–1290Berjano, E. J., Burdío, F., Navarro, A. C., Burdío, J. M., Güemes, A., Aldana, O., … Gregorio, M. A. de. (2006). Improved perfusion system for bipolar radiofrequency ablation of liver: preliminary findings from a computer modeling study. Physiological Measurement, 27(10), N55-N66. doi:10.1088/0967-3334/27/10/n03Burdío, F., Berjano, E. J., Navarro, A., Burdío, J. M., Grande, L., Gonzalez, A., … Lequerica, J. L. (2009). Research and development of a new RF-assisted device for bloodless rapid transection of the liver: Computational modeling and in vivo experiments. BioMedical Engineering OnLine, 8(1), 6. doi:10.1186/1475-925x-8-6Chang, I. A., & Nguyen, U. D. (2004). BioMedical Engineering OnLine, 3(1), 27. doi:10.1186/1475-925x-3-27Beop-Min Kim, Jacques, S. L., Rastegar, S., Thomsen, S., & Motamedi, M. (1996). Nonlinear finite-element analysis of the role of dynamic changes in blood perfusion and optical properties in laser coagulation of tissue. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, 2(4), 922-933. doi:10.1109/2944.577317Panescu, D., Whayne, J. G., Fleischman, S. D., Mirotznik, M. S., Swanson, D. K., & Webster, J. G. (1995). Three-dimensional finite element analysis of current density and temperature distributions during radio-frequency ablation. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 42(9), 879-890. doi:10.1109/10.412649González-Suárez A, Alba J, Trujillo M, Berjano E, Experimental and theoretical study of an internally cooled bipolar electrode for RF coagulation of biological tissues. Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2011;6878–6881Rosenberg, A. G. (2007). Reducing Blood Loss in Total Joint Surgery With a Saline-Coupled Bipolar Sealing Technology. The Journal of Arthroplasty, 22(4), 82-85. doi:10.1016/j.arth.2007.02.018PETERSEN, H. H., ROMAN-GONZALEZ, J., JOHNSON, S. B., HASTRUP SVENDSEN, J., HAUNSO, S., & PACKER, D. L. (2004). Mechanisms for Enlarging Lesion Size During Irrigated Tip Radiofrequency Ablation:. Is There a Virtual Electrode Effect? Journal of Interventional Cardiology, 17(3), 171-177. doi:10.1111/j.1540-8183.2004.09879.

    A review of elliptical and disc galaxy structure, and modern scaling laws

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    A century ago, in 1911 and 1913, Plummer and then Reynolds introduced their models to describe the radial distribution of stars in `nebulae'. This article reviews the progress since then, providing both an historical perspective and a contemporary review of the stellar structure of bulges, discs and elliptical galaxies. The quantification of galaxy nuclei, such as central mass deficits and excess nuclear light, plus the structure of dark matter halos and cD galaxy envelopes, are discussed. Issues pertaining to spiral galaxies including dust, bulge-to-disc ratios, bulgeless galaxies, bars and the identification of pseudobulges are also reviewed. An array of modern scaling relations involving sizes, luminosities, surface brightnesses and stellar concentrations are presented, many of which are shown to be curved. These 'redshift zero' relations not only quantify the behavior and nature of galaxies in the Universe today, but are the modern benchmark for evolutionary studies of galaxies, whether based on observations, N-body-simulations or semi-analytical modelling. For example, it is shown that some of the recently discovered compact elliptical galaxies at 1.5 < z < 2.5 may be the bulges of modern disc galaxies.Comment: Condensed version (due to Contract) of an invited review article to appear in "Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems"(www.springer.com/astronomy/book/978-90-481-8818-5). 500+ references incl. many somewhat forgotten, pioneer papers. Original submission to Springer: 07-June-201

    Parallel use of shake flask and microtiter plate online measuring devices (RAMOS and BioLector) reduces the number of experiments in laboratory-scale stirred tank bioreactors

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    Background Conventional experiments in small scale are often performed in a Black Box fashion, analyzing only the product concentration in the final sample. Online monitoring of relevant process characteristics and parameters such as substrate limitation, product inhibition and oxygen supply is lacking. Therefore, fully equipped laboratory-scale stirred tank bioreactors are hitherto required for detailed studies of new microbial systems. However, they are too spacious, laborious and expensive to be operated in larger number in parallel. Thus, the aim of this study is to present a new experimental approach to obtain dense quantitative process information by parallel use of two small-scale culture systems with online monitoring capabilities: Respiration Activity MOnitoring System (RAMOS) and the BioLector device. Results The same mastermix (medium plus microorganisms) was distributed to the different small-scale culture systems: 1) RAMOS device; 2) 48-well microtiter plate for BioLector device; and 3) separate shake flasks or microtiter plates for offline sampling. By adjusting the same maximum oxygen transfer capacity (OTRmax), the results from the RAMOS and BioLector online monitoring systems supplemented each other very well for all studied microbial systems (E. coli, G. oxydans, K. lactis) and culture conditions (oxygen limitation, diauxic growth, auto-induction, buffer effects). Conclusions The parallel use of RAMOS and BioLector devices is a suitable and fast approach to gain comprehensive quantitative data about growth and production behavior of the evaluated microorganisms. These acquired data largely reduce the necessary number of experiments in laboratory-scale stirred tank bioreactors for basic process development. Thus, much more quantitative information is obtained in parallel in shorter time.Cluster of Excellence “Tailor-Made Fuels from Biomass”, which is funded by the Excellence Initiative by the German federal and state governments to promote science and research at German universities

    Perspectives on utilization of edible coatings and nano-laminate coatings for extension of postharvest storage of fruits and vegetables

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    It is known that in developing countries, a large quantity of fruit and vegetable losses results at postharvest and processing stages due to poor or scarce storage technology and mishandling during harvest. The use of new and innovative technologies for reducing postharvest losses is a requirement that has not been fully covered. The use of edible coatings (mainly based on biopolymers) as a postharvest technique for agricultural commodities has offered biodegradable alternatives in order to solve problems (e.g., microbiological growth) during produce storage. However, biopolymer-based coatings can present some disadvantages such as: poor mechanical properties (e.g., lipids) or poor water vapor barrier properties (e.g., polysaccharides), thus requiring the development of new alternatives to solve these drawbacks. Recently, nanotechnology has emerged as a promising tool in the food processing industry, providing new insights about postharvest technologies on produce storage. Nanotechnological approaches can contribute through the design of functional packing materials with lower amounts of bioactive ingredients, better gas and mechanical properties and with reduced impact on the sensorial qualities of the fruits and vegetables. This work reviews some of the main factors involved in postharvest losses and new technologies for extension of postharvest storage of fruits and vegetables, focused on perspective uses of edible coatings and nano-laminate coatings.María L. Flores-López thanks Mexican Science and Technology Council (CONACYT, Mexico) for PhD fellowship support (CONACYT Grant Number: 215499/310847). Miguel A. Cerqueira (SFRH/BPD/72753/2010) is recipient of a fellowship from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, POPH-QREN and FSE Portugal). The authors also thank the FCT Strategic Project of UID/ BIO/04469/2013 unit, the project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and the project ‘‘BioInd Biotechnology and Bioengineering for improved Industrial and AgroFood processes,’’ REF. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000028 Co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER. Fundação Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – FUNCAP, CE Brazil (CI10080-00055.01.00/13)

    The European Solar Telescope

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    The European Solar Telescope (EST) is a project aimed at studying the magnetic connectivity of the solar atmosphere, from the deep photosphere to the upper chromosphere. Its design combines the knowledge and expertise gathered by the European solar physics community during the construction and operation of state-of-the-art solar telescopes operating in visible and near-infrared wavelengths: the Swedish 1m Solar Telescope, the German Vacuum Tower Telescope and GREGOR, the French Télescope Héliographique pour l’Étude du Magnétisme et des Instabilités Solaires, and the Dutch Open Telescope. With its 4.2 m primary mirror and an open configuration, EST will become the most powerful European ground-based facility to study the Sun in the coming decades in the visible and near-infrared bands. EST uses the most innovative technological advances: the first adaptive secondary mirror ever used in a solar telescope, a complex multi-conjugate adaptive optics with deformable mirrors that form part of the optical design in a natural way, a polarimetrically compensated telescope design that eliminates the complex temporal variation and wavelength dependence of the telescope Mueller matrix, and an instrument suite containing several (etalon-based) tunable imaging spectropolarimeters and several integral field unit spectropolarimeters. This publication summarises some fundamental science questions that can be addressed with the telescope, together with a complete description of its major subsystems

    Evaluation of appendicitis risk prediction models in adults with suspected appendicitis

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    Background Appendicitis is the most common general surgical emergency worldwide, but its diagnosis remains challenging. The aim of this study was to determine whether existing risk prediction models can reliably identify patients presenting to hospital in the UK with acute right iliac fossa (RIF) pain who are at low risk of appendicitis. Methods A systematic search was completed to identify all existing appendicitis risk prediction models. Models were validated using UK data from an international prospective cohort study that captured consecutive patients aged 16–45 years presenting to hospital with acute RIF in March to June 2017. The main outcome was best achievable model specificity (proportion of patients who did not have appendicitis correctly classified as low risk) whilst maintaining a failure rate below 5 per cent (proportion of patients identified as low risk who actually had appendicitis). Results Some 5345 patients across 154 UK hospitals were identified, of which two‐thirds (3613 of 5345, 67·6 per cent) were women. Women were more than twice as likely to undergo surgery with removal of a histologically normal appendix (272 of 964, 28·2 per cent) than men (120 of 993, 12·1 per cent) (relative risk 2·33, 95 per cent c.i. 1·92 to 2·84; P < 0·001). Of 15 validated risk prediction models, the Adult Appendicitis Score performed best (cut‐off score 8 or less, specificity 63·1 per cent, failure rate 3·7 per cent). The Appendicitis Inflammatory Response Score performed best for men (cut‐off score 2 or less, specificity 24·7 per cent, failure rate 2·4 per cent). Conclusion Women in the UK had a disproportionate risk of admission without surgical intervention and had high rates of normal appendicectomy. Risk prediction models to support shared decision‐making by identifying adults in the UK at low risk of appendicitis were identified
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