Investigation of the effect of milling duration on a Ce-Gd doped zirconolite phase assemblage synthesised by hot isostatic pressing

Zirconolite is a candidate ceramic wasteform under consideration for the immobilisation of the UK civil PuO2 inventory. In the present work, a baseline dual-substituted zirconolite with the target composition (Ca0.783Gd0.017Ce0.2)(Zr0.883Gd0.017Ce0.1)(Ti1.6Al0.4)O7 was fabricated by hot isostatic pressing (HIPing). In order to optimise the microstructure properties and improve the obtained yield of the zirconolite phase, a range of planetary ball milling parameters were investigated prior to consolidation by HIP. This included milling the batched oxide precursors at 400 rpm for up to 120 min, the pre-milling of CeO2 (PuO2 surrogate) to reduce the particle size and using a CeO2 source with finer particle size (<5 µm). The HIPed zirconolite product consisted of both zirconolite-2M and zirconolite-3T polytypes in varying proportions; however, an additional perovskite phase was obtained in varying quantities as a secondary phase. Ce L3-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy was utilised to determine the Ce oxidation state. In this study, the ideal milling parameter for the fabrication of zirconolite waste forms was defined as 60 min at 400 rpm

Seroprevalence and risk factors for toxoplasma infection among pregnant women in Aydin province, Turkey

BACKGROUND: The aims of the present study were to determine the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women at first trimester of their pregnancy and to follow up the seroconversion for next two trimesters, and to identify the risk factors and possible contamination routes in Aydin province, Turkey. METHOD: The sample size was calculated as 423 on a prevalence of 50%, d=0.05 at a confidence level of 95% with 10% addition. It was a cross-sectional study with multistage sampling. After a questionnaire applied to the pregnant women, anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies were studied with ELISA and IFA, values in conflict with DA test, where IgM antibodies were studied with ELISA and for borderline or positive values of IgM avidity test was used. RESULTS: The mean age of 389 (92.9%) of pregnant women in the study was 24.28+/-4.56 years, the seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies for toxoplasmosis was 30.1%. Seroprevalence was increased with age (p=0.001) and with drinking water consumption other than bottled water (p=0.042). No significant relations were observed between anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies and education level, being native or migrant, abortion history, consumption of meat, vegetable and milk/milk products, personal or kitchen hygiene habits, cat owning at home of the pregnant women. No IgM antibody was detected. CONCLUSION: One of every three pregnant women in Aydin was at risk of toxoplasmosis at the first trimester of their pregnancy. Increased seroprevalance with age was a predictable result because of increasing time of exposure. Increased seroprevalence with consumption of municipal and uncontrolled water (well/spring water) supplies was similar with latest epidemiological findings

Synthesis and characterisation of HIP Ca0.80Ce0.20ZrTi1.60Cr0.40O7 zirconolite and observations of the ceramic–canister interface

A sample of zirconolite with nominal composition Ca0.80Ce0.20ZrTi1.60Cr0.40O7 was processed via Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP), with a dwell temperature and pressure of 1320 °C/100 MPa maintained for 4 h. The produced wasteform was characterised by powder XRD, SEM–EDS, Ce L3 and Cr K-edge XANES. A significant portion of the Ce inventory did not fully partition within the zirconolite phase, instead remaining as CeO2 within the microstructure. Inspection of the stainless steel–ceramic interface detailed the presence of an interaction region dominated by a Cr-rich oxide layer. No significant Cr or Fe migration was observed, although a greater concentration of perovskite was observed at the periphery, relative to the bulk ceramic matrix. The X-ray absorption features of Cr remained analogous with Cr3+ accommodation within TiO6 octahedra in the zirconolite matrix. The absorption edge of Ce was comprised of contributions from zirconolite-2M and unincorporated CeO2, with an average oxidation state of Ce3.9+. As zirconolite-2M accounted for > 92 wt% of the overall phase assemblage, it is clear that the dominant oxidation state of Ce in this phase was Ce4+

Complications and outcomes of tubeless versus nephrostomy tube in percutaneous nephrolithotomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

We aimed to perform a systematic review of randomized trials to summarize the evidence on the safety and stone-free rate after Tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) (ureteral stent/catheter, no nephrostomy) compared to Standard PCNL (nephrostomy, with/without ureteral stent/catheter) to evaluate if the tubeless approach is better. The inverse variance of the mean difference with a random effect, 95% Confidence Interval (CI), and p values was used for continuous variables. Categorical variables were assessed using Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel method with the random effect model, and reported as Risk Ratio (RR), 95% CI, and p values. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05 and a 95% CI. 26 studies were included. Mean operative time was significantly shorter in the Tubeless group (MD-5.18 min, 95% CI - 6.56, - 3.80, p < 0.00001). Mean postoperative length of stay was also significantly shorter in the Tubeless group (MD-1.10 day, 95% CI - 1.48, - 0.71, p < 0.00001). Incidence of blood transfusion, angioembolization for bleeding control, pain score at the first postoperative day, the number of patients requiring postoperative pain medication, fever, urinary infections, sepsis, perirenal fluid collection, pleural breach, hospital readmission, and SFR did not differ between the two groups. Incidence of postoperative urinary fistula was significantly lower in the Tubeless group (RR 0.18, 95% CI 0.07, 0.47, p = 0.0005). This systematic review shows that tubeless PCNL can be safely performed and the standout benefits are shorter operative time and hospital stay, and a lower rate of postoperative urinary fistula.Universita Politecnica delle Marche within the CRUI-CARE Agreemen

Postresectional lung injury in thoracic surgery pre and intraoperative risk factors: a retrospective clinical study of a hundred forty-three cases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Acute respiratory dysfunction syndrome (ARDS), defined as acute hypoxemia accompanied by radiographic pulmonary infiltrates without a clearly identifiable cause, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after pulmonary resection. The aim of the study was to determine the pre and intraoperative factors associated with ARDS after pulmonary resection retrospectively.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients undergoing elective pulmonary resection at Adnan Menderes University Medical Faculty Thoracic Surgery Department from January 2005 to February 2010 were included in this retrospective study. The authors collected data on demographics, relevant co-morbidities, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status classification score, pulmonary function tests, type of operation, duration of surgery and intraoperative fluid administration (fluid therapy and blood products). The primary outcome measure was postoperative ARDS, defined as the need for continuation of mechanical ventilation for greater than 48-hours postoperatively or the need for reinstitution of mechanical ventilation after extubation. Statistical analysis was performed with Fisher exact test for categorical variables and logistic regression analysis for continuous variables.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of one hundred forty-three pulmonary resection patients, 11 (7.5%) developed postoperative ARDS. Alcohol abuse (p = 0.01, OR = 39.6), ASA score (p = 0.001, OR: 1257.3), resection type (p = 0.032, OR = 28.6) and fresh frozen plasma (FFP)(p = 0.027, OR = 1.4) were the factors found to be statistically significant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In the light of the current study, lung injury after lung resection has a high mortality. Preoperative and postoperative risk factor were significant predictors of postoperative lung injury.</p

Possible Brucellosis in an Early Hominin Skeleton from Sterkfontein, South Africa

We report on the paleopathological analysis of the partial skeleton of the late Pliocene hominin species Australopithecus africanus Stw 431 from Sterkfontein, South Africa. A previous study noted the presence of lesions on vertebral bodies diagnosed as spondylosis deformans due to trauma. Instead, we suggest that these lesions are pathological changes due to the initial phases of an infectious disease, brucellosis. The macroscopic, microscopic and radiological appearance of the lytic lesions of the lumbar vertebrae is consistent with brucellosis. The hypothesis of brucellosis (most often associated with the consumption of animal proteins) in a 2.4 to 2.8 million year old hominid has a host of important implications for human evolution. The consumption of meat has been regarded an important factor in supporting, directing or altering human evolution. Perhaps the earliest (up to 2.5 million years ago) paleontological evidence for meat eating consists of cut marks on animal remains and stone tools that could have made these marks. Now with the hypothesis of brucellosis in A. africanus, we may have evidence of occasional meat eating directly linked to a fossil hominin

Lucy's Flat Feet: The Relationship between the Ankle and Rearfoot Arching in Early Hominins

BACKGROUND. In the Plio-Pleistocene, the hominin foot evolved from a grasping appendage to a stiff, propulsive lever. Central to this transition was the development of the longitudinal arch, a structure that helps store elastic energy and stiffen the foot during bipedal locomotion. Direct evidence for arch evolution, however, has been somewhat elusive given the failure of soft-tissue to fossilize. Paleoanthropologists have relied on footprints and bony correlates of arch development, though little consensus has emerged as to when the arch evolved. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS. Here, we present evidence from radiographs of modern humans (n=261) that the set of the distal tibia in the sagittal plane, henceforth referred to as the tibial arch angle, is related to rearfoot arching. Non-human primates have a posteriorly directed tibial arch angle, while most humans have an anteriorly directed tibial arch angle. Those humans with a posteriorly directed tibial arch angle (8%) have significantly lower talocalcaneal and talar declination angles, both measures of an asymptomatic flatfoot. Application of these results to the hominin fossil record reveals that a well developed rearfoot arch had evolved in Australopithecus afarensis. However, as in humans today, Australopithecus populations exhibited individual variation in foot morphology and arch development, and "Lucy" (A.L. 288-1), a 3.18 Myr-old female Australopithecus, likely possessed asymptomatic flat feet. Additional distal tibiae from the Plio-Pleistocene show variation in tibial arch angles, including two early Homo tibiae that also have slightly posteriorly directed tibial arch angles. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE. This study finds that the rearfoot arch was present in the genus Australopithecus. However, the female Australopithecus afarensis "Lucy" has an ankle morphology consistent with non-pathological flat-footedness. This study suggests that, as in humans today, there was variation in arch development in Plio-Pleistocene hominins.Leakey Foundatio

ADHERE: randomized controlled trial comparing renal function in de novo kidney transplant recipients receiving prolonged-release tacrolimus plus mycophenolate mofetil or sirolimus

ADHERE was a randomized, open-label, Phase IV study comparing renal function at Week 52 postkidney transplant, in patients who received prolongedrelease tacrolimus-based immunosuppressive regimens. On Days 0?27, patients received prolonged-release tacrolimus (initially 0.2 mg/kg/day), corticosteroids, and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Patients were randomized on Day 28 to receive either prolonged-release tacrolimus plus MMF (Arm 1) or prolongedrelease tacrolimus (?25% dose reduction on Day 42) plus sirolimus (Arm 2). The primary endpoint was glomerular filtration rate by iohexol clearance (mGFR) at Week 52. Secondary endpoints included eGFR, creatinine clearance (CrCl), efficacy failure (patient withdrawal or graft loss), and patient/graft survival. Tolerability was analyzed. The full-analysis set comprised 569 patients (Arm 1: 287; Arm 2: 282). Week 52 mean mGFR was similar in Arm 1 versus Arm 2 (40.73 vs. 41.75 ml/min/1.73 m2; P = 0.405), as were the secondary endpoints, except composite efficacy failure, which was higher in Arm 2 versus 1 (18.2% vs. 11.5%; P = 0.002) owing to a higher postrandomization withdrawal rate due to adverse events (AEs) (14.4% vs. 5.2%). Results from this study show comparable renal function between arms at Week 52, with fewer AEs leading to study discontinuation with prolonged-release tacrolimus plus MMF (Arm 1) versus lower dose prolonged-release tacrolimus plus sirolimus (Arm 2)

Influence of handaxe size and shape on cutting efficiency: a large-scale experiment and morphometric analysis

Handaxes represent one of the most temporally enduring and geographically widespread of Palaeolithic artifacts and thus comprised a key technological strategy of many hominin populations. Archaeologically observable variation in the size (i.e., mass) and shape properties of handaxes has been frequently noted. It is logical to ask whether some of this variability may have had functional implications. Here, we report the results of a large-scale (n = 500 handaxes) experiment designed to examine the influence of variation in handaxe size and shape on cutting efficiency rates during a laboratory task. We used a comprehensive dataset of morphometric (size-adjusted) shape variables and statistical methods (including multivariate methods) to address this issue. Our first set of analyses focused on handaxe mass/size variability. This analysis demonstrated that, at a broad-scale level of variation, handaxe mass may have been free to vary independently of functional (cutting) efficiency. Our analysis also, however, identified that there will be a task-specific threshold in terms of functional effectiveness at the lower end of handaxe mass variation. This implies that hominins may have targeted design forms to meet minimal (task-specific) thresholds, and may also have managed handaxe reduction and discard in respect to such factors. Our second set of analyses focused on handaxe shape variability. This analysis also indicated that considerable variation in handaxe shape may occur independently of any strong effect on cutting efficiency. We discuss how these results have several implications for considerations of handaxe variation in the archaeological record. At a general level, our results demonstrate that variability within and between handaxe assemblages in terms of their size and shape properties will not necessarily have had immediate or strong impact on their effectiveness when used for cutting, and that such variability may have been related to factors other than functional issues