Adriamycin-loaded albumin-heparin conjugate microspheres for intraperitoneal chemotherapy

Adriamycin-loaded albumin-heparin conjugate microspheres (ADR-AHCMS) were evaluated as possible intraperitoneal (i.p.) delivery systems for site-specific cytotoxic action. The biocompatibility of the microspheres after intraperitoneal injection was tested first. 1 day after i.p. administration of empty as well as drug-loaded AHCMS to male Balb/c mice, only a moderate increase in i.p. neutrophils was measured. 3 days after injection neutrophil levels were comparable with the controls. No significant increases in the numbers of other cell types were observed, indicating an acute inflammatory response which can be considered to be mild. Antitumour efficacy was tested in an L1210 tumour-bearing mouse model and in a CC531 tumour-bearing rat model. The use of ADR-AHCMS leads to longer survival times of mice and improved tumour growth delay in rats, as compared with untreated controls and free drug treated animals. In both animal models higher adriamycin doses were initially tolerated if the drug was formulated in microspheres, although long-term adriamycin toxicity effects were evident in all treated groups. Doses and dosage schedules may be optimized to further reduce the toxic effects of the drug

ALADDIN AS AN IMMORAL ETHICIST IN ALADDIN AND THE MAGIC LAMP

This study delves into the tale Aladdin and the Magic Lamp as the excerpt of the Middle Eastern folk tales collection One Thousand and One Nights rather than the popular Disney version. It problematizes the figure of Aladdin and rebrands him as an immoral ethicist as opposed to Disney hero who seeks strength within himself and the other text versions of him as a changed man. This problematizing essentially entails a critique of the Westernized moral figure and its basic universal lesson in the text to argue his being immoral. To do this, the methodology of the paper follows from a philosophical reading that subjectivizes the protagonist into the question of ethics. Specifically, it takes from ieks elaboration of the Nietzschean version of an immoral ethics that remains consistent with the fidelity to ones desire. The paper shows how the plot reveals Aladdins immoral ethics that is founded on strength and constant activity but presupposing the voluntary knowledge and cleverness of his existential choice. To back this, the study finds three distinct features, namely: 1) disregard to authority, 2) love beyond good and evil, and 3) negative will to power.DOI:10.24071/ijhs.2019.03010

Patient Perspectives of the Doctor-at-Home Service

Introduction. Home health care has been established as an effective model for reducing mortality in the elderly. The Doctor-at-Home Service at the Community Health Centers of Burlington (CHCB) has offered home health care to Burlington residents since January 2015. Dr. Karen Sokol, MD, alone provides care to 176 patients at their homes, including at-home palliative care. CHCB hope to expand this program by hiring more providers. Objective. To understand the impact of the Doctor-at-Home Service from the pa- tients’ perspective. Methods. A survey was administered to a cohort of eighteen patients over an 8- week period and addressed topics such as barriers to healthcare, benefits, and costs associated with doctor-at-home programs. A theme analysis on the responses was then conducted to reflect patient opinions. Available summary data describing the pa- tient population was also analyzed. Results. The Doctor- at- Home program serves patients ranging from 26 to 100 years old, with the majority of the patient population comprised of senior citizens. Prior to at home care, patients faced barriers such as lack of transportation, negative past experi- ences, anxiety, and distance from relatives. Four main themes from patient responses were physician-patient relationship, convenience, quality of care, and environment of care. Discussion. Evidence is compelling that there is a desire and need for an exten- sion of the Doctor-at-Home program to reach additional patients. Doctor-at-Home pro- grams could eliminate identified barriers and provide quality care to patients, especially those with specific barriers to access.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1256/thumbnail.jp

Improving Microbiological Safety and Quality Characteristics of Wheat and Barley by High Voltage Atmospheric Cold Plasma Closed Processing

Contamination of cereal grains as a key global food resource with insects or microorganisms is a persistent concern for the grain industry due to irreversible damage to quality and safety characteristics and economic losses. Atmospheric cold plasma presents an alternative to conventional grain decontamination methods owing to the high antimicrobial potential of reactive species generated during the treatment, but effects against product specific microflora are required to understand how to optimally develop this approach for grains. This work investigated the influence of ACP processing parameters for both cereal grain decontamination and grain quality as important criteria for grain or seed use. A high voltage (HV) (80 kV) dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) closed system was used to assess the potential for control of native microflora and pathogenic bacterial and fungal challenge microorganisms, in tandem with effects on grain functional properties. Response surface modelling of experimental data probed the key factors in relation to microbial control and seed germination promotion. The maximal reductions of barley background microbiota were 2.4 and 2.1 log10 CFU/g and of wheat - 1.5 and 2.5 log10 CFU/g for bacteria and fungi, respectively, which required direct treatment for 20 min followed by a 24 h sealed post-treatment retention time. In the case of challenge organisms inoculated on barley grains, the highest resistance was observed for Bacillus atrophaeus endospores, which, regardless of retention time, were maximally reduced by 2.4 log10 CFU/g after 20 min of direct treatment. The efficacy of the plasma treatment against selected microorganisms decreased in the following order: E. coli \u3e P. verrucosum (spores) \u3e B. atrophaeus (vegetative cells) \u3e B. atrophaeus (endospores). The challenge microorganisms were more susceptible to ACP treatment than naturally present background microbiota. No major effect of short term plasma treatment on the retention of quality parameters was observed. Germination percentage measured after 7 days cultivation was similar for samples treated for up to 5 min, but this was decreased after 20 min of direct treatment. Overall, ACP proved effective for cereal grain decontamination, but it is noted that the diverse native micro-flora may pose greater resistance to the closed, surface decontamination approach than the individual fungal or bacterial challenges, which warrants investigation of grain microbiome responses to ACP

High pressure diamond-like liquid carbon

We report density-functional based molecular dynamics simulations, that show that, with increasing pressure, liquid carbon undergoes a gradual transformation from a liquid with local three-fold coordination to a 'diamond-like' liquid. We demonstrate that this unusual structural change is well reproduced by an empirical bond order potential with isotropic long range interactions, supplemented by torsional terms. In contrast, state-of-the-art short-range bond-order potentials do not reproduce this diamond structure. This suggests that a correct description of long-range interactions is crucial for a unified description of the solid and liquid phases of carbon.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Endoscopic Ultrasound Fine Needle Aspiration in the Diagnosis of Lymphoma

In recent years, endoscopic ultrasound techniques with Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) have become an increasingly used diagnostic aid in the differentiation of mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) and endoesophageal ultrasound (EUS) are now available for clinicians to reach mediastinal and paramediastinal masses using a minimally invasive approach. These techniques are an established component for diagnosing and staging lung cancer and their benefit in the diagnosis of lymphoma's has been highlighted in a number of case studies. However, the lack of tissue architecture obtained by cytological FNA specimens decreases the diagnostic accuracy for benign causes of thoracic lymphadenopathies, lymphomas, and histopathological subtyping of lung cancer. Accordingly, our study group have adapted the FNA sampling technique, resulting in tissue fragments that can be used for histopathological examinations. As an illustration, we report a case of follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma, diagnosed on tissue fragments obtained by adjusted EUS FNA. We believe that this relatively simple adjustment to routine FNA sampling can help to overcome the diagnostic limitations inherent in cytology obtained by routine FNA