Acute Renal Failure Following the Saharan Horned Viper (Cerastes cerastes) Bite

Introduction: The Saharan horned viper (Cerastes cerastes) is a common snake in the sandy and rocky regions in the south of Morocco. Although nearly all snakes with medical relevance can induce acute renal failure (ARF), it’s unusual except with bites by some viper species. ARFhas very rarely been reported following Cerastes cerastes bite.Case Report: A 55-year-old Moroccan man was bitten on his right hand by a Saharan horned viper, Cerastes cerastes. He presented 24 hours later in a state of confusion, agitation and hypotension with marked swelling of his right hand. Investigations revealed evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and rhabdomyolysis. The appropriate antivenom wasnot available. Despite adequate hydration, he developed acute renal failure necessitating prolonged hemodialysis. He subsequently improved and was discharged from the hospital after four weeks with normal renal function.Conclusion: Although uncommon, the bite of Cerastes cerastes can result in ARF due to DIC and rhabdomyolysis. The appropriate antivenom should be made available in areas where this snake is prevalent

Relaxable Damage in Hot-Carrier Stressing of n

A method for device characterization is experimented to qualify the relaxable damage in hot-carrier stressing of n-MOS transistors. The degradation of physical parameters of the body-drain junction of power HEXFETs is presented for applied stress condition Vg= Vd/2. Large decrease of the resistance series, of the ideality factor, and of the reverse recombination current are shown to be related to relaxation time, and are significant at Vg=–Vd. These effects are discussed and explained by the evolution of the interface states

Leucémie aigüe myélomonocytaire à éosinophiles révélée par une pancréatite aigüe

La leucémie aigüe myélomonocytaire à composante éosinophile (LAM4eo) est une hémopathie maligne rare, caractérisée par une prolifération blastique myéloïde avec présence d'une composante monocytaire et des éosinophiles anormaux. Elle est associée à l'inversion du chromosome 16,parfois à sa variante la translocation (16;16).Nous rapportons un cas de LAM4eo chez un patient de sexe masculin âgé de 51 ans, découverte audécours d'un bilan paraclinique pour pancréatite aiguë (PA) confirmée par la TDM. L'hémogramme a montré une hyperleucocytose à 123G/l faitede 60% de blastes, une monocytose à 5 G/L ainsi qu'une lignée  éosinophile dystrophique. Le myélogramme a objectivé l'infiltration de la moelle par une population blastique estimée à 61% d'expression hétérogène à la Cytométrie de flux : Des blastes très immatures  exprimant fortement les marqueurs CD117 et CD34 ; des blastes  prédominants qui expriment les antigènes CD33, CD13, CD65  (myéloblastes). Et une partie des blastes, était positive pour le CD14, CD4, CD11c (monoblastes).Après une exploration étiologique approfondie n'ayant pas pu trouver un lien de cause à effet, l'association entre les deux pathologies a été considérée comme fortuite et la pancréatite a été rattachée à la prise de paroxétine. Le patient a été mis alors en condition, et a été traité par chimiothérapie avec bonne évolution clinique et  biologique

Optimisation of CH4 and CO2 conversion and selectivity of H2 and CO for the dry reforming of methane by a microwave plasma technique using a Box–Behnken design

A microwave plasma was generated by N2 gas. Synthesis gases (H2 and CO) were produced by the interaction of CH4 and CO2 under plasma conditions at atmospheric pressure. The experimental pilot plant was set up, and the gases were sampled and analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The Box–Behnken design (BBD) method was used to find the optimising conditions based on the experimental results. The response surface methodology based on a three-parameter and three-level BBD has been developed to find the effects of independent process parameters, which were represented by the gas flow rates of CH4, CO2, and N2 and their effects on the process performance in terms of CH4, CO2, and N2 conversion and selectivity of H2 and CO. In this work, four models based on quadratic polynomial regression have been determined to understand the connection between the limits of the feed gas flow rate and the performance of the process. The results show that the most important factor influencing the CO2, CH4, and N2 conversion and the selectivity of H2 and CO was “CO2 feed gas flow rate.” At the maximum desirable value of 0.92, the optimum CH4, CO2, and N2 conversion were 84.91%, 44.40%, and 3.37%, respectively, and the selectivities of H2 and CO were 51.31% and 61.17%, respectively. This was achieved at a gas feed flow rate of 0.19, 0.38, and 1.49 L min-1 for CH4, CO2, and N2, respectively

Design and Realization a New Thermoelectric Sensor, Application

The present paper deals with design and realization of a New thermoelectric sensor adapted to conceive a circuit breaker, using the thermoelectric effects (Joule, Peltier and Seebeck). The sensor includes two printed circuits. The first is constituted of two resistive tracks of constantan, it is the transmitting circuit. The second, a planar thermoelectric circuit acting as a receiver, is constituted of many plated differential thermocouples. The transmitting circuit is placed on the top surface of the receiver circuit so that the resistive tracks are placed on the levels of thermoelectric junctions. The measuring method consists to passing electrical currents through the resistive tracks in order to generate temperature gradients between junction points of the bimetallic circuit. Then the resulting temperature differences between junction points is directly converted into a proportional Seebeck voltage. As an application, the sensor is adapted to realize a differential circuit-breaker with a low difference current

Optimized sampling conditions for fecal volatile organic compounds analysis by means of field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry

Background Fecal volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are increasingly considered as potential non-invasive, diagnostic biomarkers for various gastrointestinal diseases. Knowledge of influence of sampling conditions on VOC outcomes is limited. We aimed to evaluate effects of sampling conditions on fecal VOC profiles and to assess under which conditions an optimal diagnostic accuracy in the discrimination between pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and controls could be obtained. Methods Fecal samples from de novo treatment-naïve pediatric IBD patients and healthy controls (HC) were used to assess effects of sampling conditions compared to the standard operating procedure (reference standard), defined as 500mg of sample mass, diluted with 10mL tap water, using field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS). Results A total of 17 IBD (15CD and 2 UC) and 25 HC were included. IBD and HC could be discriminated with high accuracy (accuracy=0.93, AUC=0.99, p<0.0001). Smaller fecal sample mass resulted in a decreased diagnostic accuracy (300mg accuracy=0.77; AUC=0.69, p=0.02; 100mg accuracy=0.70, AUC=0.74, p=0.003). A loss of diagnostic accuracy was seen towards increased numbers of thaw-freeze cycles (one cycle: accuracy=0.61, AUC=0.80, p=0.0004, two cycles: accuracy=0.64, AUC=0.56, p=0.753, three cycles: accuracy=0.57, AUC=0.50, p=0.5101) and when samples were kept at room temperature for 180 minutes prior to analysis (accuracy=0.60, AUC=0.51, p=0.46). Diagnostic accuracy of VOC profiles was not significantly influenced by storage duration differences of 20 months. Conclusion Application of 500mg sample mass analyzed after one thaw-freeze cycle, showed best discriminative accuracy for differentiation of IBD and HC. VOC profiles and diagnostic accuracy were significantly affected by sampling conditions, underlining the need for implementation of standardized protocols in fecal VOC analysis

Simultaneous assessment of urinary and fecal volatile organic compound analysis in De Novo Pediatric IBD

Endoscopic evaluation is mandatory in establishing the diagnosis of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but unfortunately carries a high burden on patients. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) have been proposed as alternative, noninvasive diagnostic biomarkers for IBD. The current study aimed to assess and compare the potential of fecal and urinary VOC as diagnostic biomarkers for pediatric IBD in an intention-to-diagnose cohort. In this cohort study, patients aged 4–17 years, referred to the outpatient clinic of a tertiary referral center under suspicion of IBD, were eligible to participate. The diagnosis was established by endoscopic and histopathologic assessment, participants who did not meet the criteria of IBD were allocated to the control group. Participants were instructed to concurrently collect a fecal and urinary sample prior to bowel lavage. Samples were analyzed by means of gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry. In total, five ulcerative colitis patients, five Crohn’s disease patients, and ten age and gender matched controls were included. A significant difference was demonstrated for both fecal (p-value, area under the curve; 0.038, 0.73) and urinary (0.028, 0.78) VOC profiles between IBD and controls. Analysis of both fecal and urinary VOC behold equal potential as noninvasive biomarkers for pediatric IBD diagnosis

Time Evolution of a Supply Chain Network: Kinetic Modeling

Resilient supply chains are often inherently dependent on the nature of their complex interconnected networks that are simultaneously multi-dimensional and multi-layered. This article presents a Supply Chain Network (SCN) model that can be used to regulate downstream relationships towards a sustainable SME using a 4-component cost function structure - Environmental (E), Demand (D), Economic (E), and Social (S). As a major generalization to the existing practice of using phenomenological interrelationships between the EDES cost kernels, we propose a complementary time varying model of a cost function, based on Lagrangian mechanics (incorporating SCN constraints through Lagrange multipliers), to analyze the time evolution of the SCN variables to interpret the competition between economic inertia and market potential. Multicriteria decision making, based on an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), ranks performance quality, identifying key business decision makers. The model is first solved numerically and then validated against real data pertaining to two Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from diverse domains, establishing the domain-independent nature of the model. The results quantify how increases in a production line without appropriate consideration of market volatility can lead to bankruptcy, and how high transportation cost together with increased production may lead to a break-even state. The model also predicts the time it takes a policy change to reinvigorate sales, thereby forecasting best practice operational procedure that ensures holistic sustainability on all four sustainability fronts

Male obesity associated gonadal dysfunction and the role of bariatric surgery

Obesity is an ever growing pandemic and a prevalent problem among men of reproductive age that can both cause and exacerbate male-factor infertility by means of endocrine abnormalities, associated comorbidities, and direct effects on the precision and throughput of spermatogenesis. Robust epidemiologic, clinical, genetic, epigenetic, and preclinical data support these findings. Clinical studies on the impact of medically induced weight loss on serum testosterone concentrations and spermatogenesis is promising but may show differential and unsustainable results. In contrast, literature has demonstrated that weight loss after bariatric surgery is correlated with an increase in serum testosterone concentrations that is superior than that obtained with only lifestyle modifications, supporting a further metabolic benefit from surgery that may be specific to the male reproductive system. The data on sperm and semen parameters is controversial to date. Emerging evidence in the burgeoning field of genetics and epigenetics has demonstrated that paternal obesity can affect offspring metabolic and reproductive phenotypes by means of epigenetic reprogramming of spermatogonial stem cells. Understanding the impact of this reprogramming is critical to a comprehensive view of the impact of obesity on subsequent generations. Furthermore, conveying the potential impact of these lifestyle changes on future progeny can serve as a powerful tool for obese men to modify their behavior. Healthcare professionals treating male infertility and obesity need to adapt their practice to assimilate these new findings to better counsel men about the importance of paternal preconception health and the impact of novel non-medical therapeutic interventions. Herein, we summarize the pathophysiology of obesity on the male reproductive system and emerging evidence regarding the potential role of bariatric surgery as treatment of male obesity-associated gonadal dysfunction