Management of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia with Sever COVID 19: A Case Report

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is a pandemic viral disease that can cause devastating complications such as acute respiratory disease, especially in patients with comorbidities. We do not know yet full pictures of this disease, especially in hematological malignancies. Here, we present management of a 57-year-old male with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia, tested positive for COVID-19, then complicated with acute respiratory distress syndrome

Sensitivity of preputial and vaginal exfoliative cytological examination for diagnosis of canine leishmaniosis (Leishmania infantum)

Σκοπός της μελέτης ήταν η εκτίμηση της ευαισθησίας της κυτταρολογικής εξέτασης από δείγματα από την ακροποσθία ή τον κόλπο για διάγνωση της λεϊσμανίωσης του σκύλου, καθώς προηγούμενες μελέτες έχουν δείξει την παρουσία αμαστιγωτών μορφών Leishmania infantum στο πέος και την ακροποσθία των αρσενικών, καθώς και στον κόλπο των θηλυκών σκύλων με λεϊσμανίωση. Η εξέταση αυτή θα μπορούσε να αντικαταστήσει την κυτταρολογική εξέταση των λεμφογαγγλίων, του σπλήνα και του μυελού των οστών που απαιτούν περισσότερο επεμβατική δειγματοληψία. Χρησιμοποιήθηκαν 20 αρσενικοί και 18 θηλυκοί σκύλοι με επιβεβαιωμένη λεϊσμανίωση. Από κάθε αρσενικό σκύλο εξετάστηκαν τρία κυτταρολογικά επιχρίσματα από υλικό από διαφορετικά σημεία της κοιλότητας της ακροποσθίας, ενώ από κάθε θηλυκό σκύλο εξετάστηκε ένα επίχρισμα από την πρόσθια μοίρα του κόλπου. Ύστερα από μικροσκοπική εξέταση σε μεγέθυνση 1.000× επί 20 min δεν διαπιστώθηκαν  αμαστιγωτές μορφές της Leishmania spp. σε κανένα από τα παραπάνω επιχρίσματα. Κατά συνέπεια, η κυτταρολογική εξέταση δειγμάτων από την ακροποσθία ή τον κόλπο δεν αποτελεί ευαίσθητη μέθοδο για τη διάγνωση της λεϊσμανίωσης του σκύλου.Aim of the study was to examine sensitivity of preputial and vaginal exfoliative cytological examination as a noninvasive alternative to lymph node, spleen and bone marrow cytology, for detection of Leishmania infantum amastigotes in dogs with leishmaniosis, as, in previous studies, the protozoa have been observed in the penis and prepuce of male dogs and in the vagina of female dogs with leishmaniosis. In total, 20 male  and 18 female dogs with confirmed leishmaniosis were included inthe study. Three cytology smears were prepared from different sites of the preputial cavity of males and one smear was prepared from the anterior vagina of females. Leishmania amastigotes were not observed in these samples after microscopic examination for 20 min at 1,000× magnification. Therefore, preputial and vaginal exfoliative cytology is not recommended for routine diagnosis of canine leishmaniosis

Quantifying the Effects of Circuitous Routes on the Latency of Intra-Africa Internet Traffic: A Study of Research and Education Networks

Despite an increase in the number of Internet eXchange Points (IXP) in Africa, as well as proliferation of submarine and terrestrial fibre optic cable systems, the level of peering among Africa’s Internet service providers remains low. Using active network measurements, this work characterizes the level of interconnectivity and peering among Africa’s National Research and Education Networks (NRENs),and examines the performance of traffic exchange in terms of latencies. This paper shows that over 75% of Africa’s inter-university traffic follows circuitous inter-continental routes, and is characterised by latencies that are more than double those of traffic exchanged within the continent

Development of the Bélanger Equation and Backwater Equation by Jean-Baptiste Bélanger (1828)

A hydraulic jump is the sudden transition from a high-velocity to a low-velocity open channel flow. The application of the momentum principle to the hydraulic jump is commonly called the Bélanger equation, but few know that Bélanger's (1828) treatise was focused on the study of gradually varied open channel flows. Further, although Bélanger understood the rapidly-varied nature of the jump flow, he applied incorrectly the Bernoulli principle in 1828, and corrected his approach 10 years later. In 1828, his true originality lay in the successful development of the backwater equation for steady, one-dimensional gradually-varied flows in an open channel, together with the introduction of the step method, distance calculated from depth, and the concept of critical flow conditions

Jean-Baptiste Bélanger, hydraulic engineer, researcher and academic

Jean-Baptiste BÉLANGER (1790-1874) worked as a hydraulic engineer at the beginning of his career. He developed the backwater equation to calculate gradually-varied open channel flow properties for steady flow conditions. Later, as an academic at the leading French engineering schools (Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées, and Ecole Polytechnique), he developed a new university curriculum in mechanics and several textbooks including a seminal text in hydraulic engineering. His influence on his contemporaries was considerable, and his name is written on the border of one of the four facades of the Eiffel Tower. BÉLANGER's leading role demonstrated the dynamism of practicing engineers at the time, and his contributions paved the way to many significant works in hydraulics

Aortic stiffness as a marker of cardiac function and myocardial strain in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement

Background: Cardiac function and myocardial strain are affected by cardiac afterload, which is in part due to the stiffness of the aortic wall. In this study, we hypothesize that aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) as a marker of aortic stiffness correlates with conventional clinical and biochemical markers of cardiac function and perioperative myocardial strain in aortic valve replacement (AVR). Methods: Patients undergoing AVR for aortic stenosis between June 2010 and August 2012 were recruited for inclusion in this study. PWV, NYHA class and left ventricular (LV) function were assessed pre-operatively. PWV was analysed both as a continuous and dichotomous variable according to age-standardized reference values. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) was measured pre-operatively, and at 3 h and 18-24 h after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). NYHA class, leg edema, and LV function were recorded at follow-up (409 ± 159 days). Results: Fifty-six patients (16 females) with a mean age of 71 ± 8.4 years were included, with 50 (89%) patients completing follow-up. The NYHA class of PWV-norm patients was significantly lower than PWV-high patients both pre- and post-operatively. Multiple logistic regression also highlighted PWV-cut off as an independent predictor of NYHA class pre- and post-operatively (OR 8.3, 95%CI [2.27,33.33] and OR 14.44, 95%CI [1.49,139.31] respectively). No significant relationship was observed between PWV and either LV function or plasma BNP. Conclusion: In patients undergoing AVR for aortic stenosis, PWV is independently related to pre- and post-operative NYHA class but not to LV function or BNP. These findings provisionally support the use of perioperative PWV as a non-invasive marker of clinical functional status, which when used in conjunction with biomarkers of myocardial strain such as BNP, may provide a holistic functional assessment of patients undergoing aortic valve surgery. However, in order for PWV assessment to be translated into clinical practice and utilised as more than simply a research tool, further validation is required in the form of larger prospective studies specifically designed to assess the relationship between PWV and these functional clinical outcomes

Improved Interpretation of Mercury Intrusion and Soil Water Retention Percolation Characteristics by Inverse Modelling and Void Cluster Analysis

This work addresses two continuing fallacies in the interpretation of percolation characteristics of porous solids. The first is that the first derivative (slope) of the intrusion characteristic of the non-wetting fluid or drainage characteristic of the wetting fluid corresponds to the void size distribution, and the second is that the sizes of all voids can be measured. The fallacies are illustrated with the aid of the PoreXpert® inversemodelling package.Anewvoid analysis method is then described, which is an add-on to the inverse modelling package and addresses the second fallacy. It is applied to three widely contrasting and challenging porous media. The first comprises two fine-grain graphites for use in the next-generation nuclear reactors. Their larger void sizes were measured by mercury intrusion, and the smallest by using a grand canonical Monte Carlo interpretation of surface area measurement down to nanometre scale. The second application is to the mercury intrusion of a series of mixtures of ground calcium carbonate with powdered microporous calcium carbonate known as functionalised calcium carbonate (FCC). The third is the water retention/drainage characteristic of a soil sample which undergoes naturally occurring hydrophilic/hydrophobic transitions. The first-derivative approximation is shown to be reasonable in the interpretation of the mercury intrusion porosimetry of the two graphites, which differ only at low mercury intrusion pressures, but false for FCC and the transiently hydrophobic soil. The findings are supported by other experimental characterisations, in particular electron and atomic force microscopy