Analysis of electric field and emission spectrum in the glow discharge of therapeutic plasma electrode

Gas-filled glass plasma electrodes coupled with high-frequency high-voltage generators are used in medicine and dentistry for more than a century. In recent literature, therapeutic effects of such procedure have been explained through topical bio-oxidative effects of ozone generated by the dielectric barrier discharge. The aim of this study was to evaluate characteristics of electric field and optical emission spectrum generated in the treatment field by the glow discharge of the plasma electrode. Emission spectrum in red and near-infrared wavelength range (540–886 nm) and pulsed electric field (impulse frequency 1053 Hz, exponentially damped sine wave in the range of 33 kHz, duty cycle 20%) were recorded. Estimated electric field strength at 1-mm distance was in the range from 5.8 to 13.7 kV/m and between 106 and 108 V/m in the close proximity of electrode’s surface (below 0.01 mm). Recorded factors are integral constituents in the treatment field and their properties can be correlated to the known biological and therapeutic effects of photostimulation and electrostimulation. These factors present important bioactive components which could be responsible for therapeutic effects, reported in number of clinical studies, especially those which could not be explained through topical bio-oxidative effects of ozone

Examination of Fluconazole-Induced Alopecia in an Animal Model and Human Cohort.

Fluconazole-induced alopecia is a significant problem for patients receiving long-term therapy. We evaluated the hair cycle changes of fluconazole in a rat model and investigated potential molecular mechanisms. Plasma and tissue levels of retinoic acid were not found to be causal. Human patients with alopecia attributed to fluconazole also underwent detailed assessment and in both our murine model and human cohort fluconazole induced telogen effluvium. Future work further examining the mechanism of fluconazole-induced alopecia should be undertaken

Living on thin abstractions: more power/economic knowledge

Debates over the role of knowledge and know-how as key economic assets in the contemporary economy, although far from new, are now increasingly couched in terms of a new-found economic immateriality which allows for their costless reproduction and widespread geographical dissemination. In the rush to tie down and reproduce economic know-how in abstract codifiable form, it has become almost baffling to argue that our stock of economic knowledge may rest upon affects as much as analysis, expressive symbolism as much as abstract symbolism. This paper is an attempt to think through how such 'elusive' economic knowledges may be grasped, yet neither formalized nor codified in abstract terms. It is also a plea to consider the geography of economic knowledge outside of the tacit - explicit distinction

Machine Learning for Health: Algorithm Auditing & Quality Control

Developers proposing new machine learning for health (ML4H) tools often pledge to match or even surpass the performance of existing tools, yet the reality is usually more complicated. Reliable deployment of ML4H to the real world is challenging as examples from diabetic retinopathy or Covid-19 screening show. We envision an integrated framework of algorithm auditing and quality control that provides a path towards the effective and reliable application of ML systems in healthcare. In this editorial, we give a summary of ongoing work towards that vision and announce a call for participation to the special issue Machine Learning for Health: Algorithm Auditing & Quality Control in this journal to advance the practice of ML4H auditing