Microemulsions With High Water Solubilizing Capacity At High Hydrocarbon Levels And Very Low Surfactant Concentrations

Phase diagrams have been determined showing the extent of the inverse micellar or microemulsion region for systems consisting of water-surfactant-cosurfactant or water-surfactant-hydrocarbon cosurfactant mixture with three surfactants and four cosurfactants. The surfactants are sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium laurate, and tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide while the cosurfactants are pentanol, hexanol, pentylamine, and hexylamine. Hexylamine is found to be a very effective cosurfactant giving rise to very good water solubilizing capacity at extremely low surfactant concentrations and very low cosurfactant levels at rather high initial hydrocarbon levels. © 1986

A Preliminary Study of Trunk Kinematics during Walking in Normal Subjects

The purpose of this study was to systematically describe the three-dimensional trunk kinematics in normal subjects, to establish a baseline for comparison to future research in gait analysis and aid in the identification of pathological gait. Seventeen volunteers between the ages of twenty and fifty, who met criteria for normal subjects, participated in this study. Trunk kinematic data were collected using an optoelectronic technique. An ensemble average of trunk kinematic data in each of the cardinal planes was plotted in degrees of motion versus percentage of gait cycle. A distinct pattern of trunk kinematics during gait was found in this study. Trunk motion relative to the pelvis was of greater magnitude than motion relative to the lab in the frontal and transverse planes. Inter-subject variability ranged from 37% to 644%, with the greatest amount of variability occurring in measurements of trunk movement relative to the lab in all three planes. Stride to stride variability within subjects ranged from 28% to 182%, with the greatest amount of intra-subject variability in trunk movements relative to the pelvis

Factors affecting continuation of clean intermittent catheterisation in people with multiple sclerosis: results of the COSMOS mixed-methods study

Background:  Clean intermittent catheterisation (CIC) is often recommended for people with multiple sclerosis (MS).  Objective:  To determine the variables that affect continuation or discontinuation of the use of CIC.  Methods:  A three-part mixed-method study (prospective longitudinal cohort (n = 56), longitudinal qualitative interviews (n = 20) and retrospective survey (n = 456)) was undertaken, which identified the variables that influenced CIC continuation/discontinuation. The potential explanatory variables investigated in each study were the individual’s age, gender, social circumstances, number of urinary tract infections, bladder symptoms, presence of co-morbidity, stage of multiple sclerosis and years since diagnosis, as well as CIC teaching method and intensity.  Results:  For some people with MS the prospect of undertaking CIC is difficult and may take a period of time to accept before beginning the process of using CIC. Ongoing support from clinicians, support at home and a perceived improvement in symptoms such as nocturia were positive predictors of continuation. In many cases, the development of a urinary tract infection during the early stages of CIC use had a significant detrimental impact on continuation.  Conclusion:  Procedures for reducing the incidence of urinary tract infection during the learning period (i.e. when being taught and becoming competent) should be considered, as well as the development of a tool to aid identification of a person’s readiness to try CIC

Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of imatinib dose escalation for the treatment of unresectable and/or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumours that have progressed on treatment at a dose of 400 mg/day : a systematic review and economic evaluation

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of biofeedback-assisted pelvic floor muscle training for female urinary incontinence: a multicentre randomised controlled trial

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this recordICS 2019: International Continence Society 49th Annual Meeting, 3-6 September 2019, Gothenburg, SwedenNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR

Temporal variation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest occurrence in individuals with or without diabetes

Objective: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) occurrence has been shown to exhibit a circadian rhythm, following the circadian rhythm of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) occurrence. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with changes in circadian rhythm. We aimed to compare the temporal variation of OHCA occurrence over the day and week between OHCA patients with DM and those without.Methods: In two population-based OHCA registries (Amsterdam Resuscitation Studies [ARREST] 2010-2016, n = 4163, and Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry [DANCAR], 2010-2014, n = 12,734), adults (≥18y) with presumed cardiac cause of OHCA and available medical history were included. Single and double cosinor analysis was performed to model circadian variation of OHCA occurrence. Stratified analysis of circadian variation was performed in patients with AMI as immediate cause of OHCA.Results: DM patients (22.8% in ARREST, 24.2% in DANCAR) were older and more frequently had cardiovascular risk factors or previous cardiovascular disease. Both cohorts showed 24 h-rhythmicity, with significant amplitudes in single and double cosinor functions (P-range &lt; 0.001). In both registries, a morning peak (10:00-11:00) and an evening peak (20:00-21:00) was observed in both DM and non-DM patients. No septadian variation was observed in either DM or non-DM patients (P-range 0.13-84).Conclusions: In these two population-based OHCA registries, we observed a similar circadian rhythm of OHCA occurrence in DM and non-DM patients.</p

Multifactorial intervention to reduce falls in older people at high risk of recurrent falls a randomized controlled trial

Background: Falls occur frequently in older people and strongly affect quality of life. Guidelines recommend multifactorial, targeted fall prevention. We evaluated the effectiveness of a multifactorial intervention in older persons with a high risk of recurrent falls. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted from April 3, 2005, to July 21, 2008, at the geriatric outpatient clinic of a university hospital and regional general practices in the Netherlands. Of 2015 persons identified, 217 persons aged 65 years or older were selected to participate. They had a high risk of recurrent falls and no cognitive impairment and had visited the emergency department or their family physician after a fall. The geriatric assessment and intervention were aimed at reduction of fall risk factors. Primary outcome measures were time to first and second falls after randomization. Secondary outcome measures were fractures, activities of daily living, quality of life, and physical performance. Results: Within 1 year, 55 (51.9%) of the 106 intervention participants and 62 (55.9%) of the 111 usual care (control) participants fell at least once. No significant treatment effect was demonstrated for the time to first fall (hazard ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.67-1.37) or the time to second fall (1.13; 0.71-1.80). Similar results were obtained for secondary outcome measures and for perprotocol analysis. One intervention participant died vs 7 in the control group (hazard ratio, 0.15; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-1.21). Conclusion: This multifactorial fall-prevention program does not reduce falls in high-risk, cognitively intact older persons. Trial Registration: isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN11546541