1,427 research outputs found
Vesicostomy as a Protector of Upper Urinary Tract in Long-Term Follow-Up
Introduction: The aim of this study was to analyze the results of vesicostomy in children as a protector of the upper urinary tract and assess the adjustments taken by the caregivers. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one children who had undergone vesicostomy with the Blocksom technique were evaluated. Their mean age was 3.7 years (range, < 1 to 10 years). The evaluation consisted of kidney function tests, cystography, and analysis of complications. Twenty parents or caregivers were interviewed about their attitudes towards vesicostomy and its outcomes. Results: The main causes of the vesical dysfunction were posterior urethral valve in 7 (33.3%) and myelomeningocele in 5 patients (23.8%). Ten children (58.8%) showed improvement and 7 (41,2%) showed cure. Hydronephrosis observed in 17 children was alleviated or cured following the procedure. Kidney function, tested by creatinine clearance calculation, remained stable or improved in 20 patients (95.2%). Episodes of urinary tract infection and 1 (71.4%), vesicoureteral reflux lowered in 8 of 21 (38.1%) and 10 of 14 patients respectively. Subjective evaluation of 20 cases showed that 18 children (90.0%) remained dry during the day and 14 caregivers/parents (70.0%) felt they had acquired the skills necessary to handle a patient with vesicostomy. The mean global rate of satisfaction of the results of the surgery ranging from 0 (worst result) to 10 (best result) was 8.7. Conclusion: Vesicostomy is a simple surgery that protects the upper urinary tract, decreases hydronephrosis, and improves kidney function. There was adequate adjustment to vesicostomy and a positive global evaluation as reported by the parents and caregivers.629610
The pre-main sequence binary HK Ori : Spectro-astrometry and EXPORT data
In this paper we present multi-epoch observations of the pre-main sequence
binary HK Ori. These data have been drawn from the EXPORT database and are
complemented by high quality spectro-astrometric data of the system. The
spectroscopic data appear to be very well represented by a combination of an A
dwarf star spectrum superposed on a (sub-)giant G-type spectrum. The radial
velocity of the system is consistent with previous determinations, and does not
reveal binary motion, as expected for a wide binary. The spectral, photometric
and polarimetric properties and variability of the system indicate that the
active object in the system is a T Tauri star with UX Ori characteristics. The
spectro-astrometry of HK Ori is sensitive down to milli-arcsecond scales and
confirms the speckle interferometric results from Leinert et al. The
spectro-astrometry allows with fair certainty the identification of the active
star within the binary, which we suggest to be a G-type T Tauri star based on
its spectral characteristics.Comment: MNRAS in press 8 pages 7 figure
Electroanalytical overview: The detection of chromium
Chromium exerts serious damage to human beings and to aquatic life and is one of the most common environmental contaminant and possess toxicity when present above threshold limits. In comparison with the traditional quantification methods such as atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, UV-Vis or high-performance liquid chromatography, electrochemical methods towards monitoring chromium ions have the advantages of being portable, rapid, cost effective, simple, sensitive and selective enough to meet regulatory limits. This review presents the recent progress in the field of electroanalysis using different electrode platforms such as solid or screen-printed electrode (SPE) and various functional materials towards chromium determination. The fabrication strategy and the analytical performance of carbon nanomaterials (such as carbon nanotubes and graphene), metal and metal oxide nanomaterials enabled sensors for electrochemical determination of chromium (III) and chromium (VI) ions are summarized systematically. In addition, method validation and the application of these sensors in real samples for the analysis of chromium ions is discussed and future developments in this domain are provided
A magnetically collimated jet from an evolved star
Planetary nebulae often have asymmetric shapes, which could arise due to
collimated jets from evolved stars before evolution to the planetary nebula
phase. The source of jet collimation in these stars is unknown. Magnetic fields
are thought to collimate outflows that are observed in many other astrophysical
sources, such as active galactic nuclei and proto-stars, although hitherto
there are no direct observations of both the magnetic field direction and
strength in any collimated jet. Theoretical models have shown that magnetic
fields could also be the dominant source of collimation of jet in evolved
stars. Here we report measurements of the polarization of water vapour masers
that trace the precessing jet emanating from the asymptotic giant branch star
W43A at 2.6 kpc from the Sun, which is undergoing rapid evolution into a
planetary nebula. The masers occur in two clusters at opposing tips of the
jets, ~1,000 AU from the star. We find direct evidence that the magnetic field
is collimating the jet.Comment: Published in Nature 440 (March 2nd 2006). High-res figures can be
found at http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~wouter/papers/w43a/w43a.htm
Adjusting the connection length of additively manufactured electrodes changes the electrochemical and electroanalytical performance
Changing the connection length of an additively manufactured electrode (AME) has a significant impact on the electrochemical and electroanalytical response of the system. In the literature, many electrochemical platforms have been produced using additive manufacturing with great variations in how the AME itself is described. It is seen that when measuring the near-ideal outer-sphere redox probe hexaamineruthenium (III) chloride (RuHex), decreasing the AME connection length enhances the heterogeneous electrochemical transfer (HET) rate constant ((Formula presented.)) for the system. At slow scan rates, there is a clear change in the peak-to-peak separation (ÎEp) observed in the RuHex voltammograms, with the ÎEp shifting from 118 ± 5 mV to 291 ± 27 mV for the 10 and 100 mm electrodes, respectively. For the electroanalytical determination of dopamine, no significant difference is noticed at low concentrations between 10- and 100-mm connection length AMEs. However, at concentrations of 1 mM dopamine, the peak oxidation is shifted to significantly higher potentials as the AME connection length is increased, with a shift of 150 mV measured. It is recommended that in future work, all AME dimensions, not just the working electrode head size, is reported along with the resistance measured through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to allow for appropriate comparisons with other reports in the literature. To produce the best additively manufactured electrochemical systems in the future, researchers should endeavor to use the shortest AME connection lengths that are viable for their designs
Toward the Rapid Diagnosis of Sepsis: Detecting Interleukin-6 in Blood Plasma Using Functionalized Screen-Printed Electrodes with a Thermal Detection Methodology
This paper reports the detection of the inflammatory and sepsis-related biomarker, interleukin-6 (IL-6), in human blood plasma using functionalized screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) in conjunction with a thermal detection methodology, termed heat-transfer method (HTM). SPEs are functionalized with antibodies specific for IL-6 through electrodeposition of a diazonium linking group and N'-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) coupling, which was tracked through the use of cyclic voltammetry and Raman spectroscopy. The functionalized SPEs are mounted inside an additively manufactured flow cell and connected to the HTM device. We demonstrate the ability to detect IL-6 at clinically relevant concentrations in PBS buffer (pH = 7.4) with no significant interference from the similarly sized sepsis-related biomarker procalcitonin (PCT). The limit of detection (3s) of the system is calculated to correspond to 3.4 ± 0.2 pg mL-1 with a working range spanning the physiologically relevant concentration levels in both healthy individuals and patients with sepsis, indicating the sensitivity of the sensor is suitable for the application. Further experiments helped provide a proof-of-application through the detection of IL-6 in blood plasma with no significant interference observed from PCT or the constituents of the medium. Due to the selectivity, sensitivity, straightforward operation, and low cost of production, this sensor platform has the potential for use as a traffic light sensor for the multidetection of inflammatory biomarkers for the diagnosis of sepsis and other conditions in which the rapid testing of blood biomarkers has vital clinical application
Low-cost, facile droplet modification of screen-printed arrays for internally validated electrochemical detection of serum procalcitonin
This manuscript presents the design and facile production of screen-printed arrays (SPAs) for the internally validated determination of raised levels of serum procalcitonin (PCT). The screen-printing methodology produced SPAs with six individual working electrodes that exhibit an inter-array reproducibility of 3.64% and 5.51% for the electrochemically active surface area and heterogenous electrochemical rate constant respectively. The SPAs were modified with antibodies specific for the detection of PCT through a facile methodology, where each stage simply uses droplets incubated on the surface, allowing for their mass-production. This platform was used for the detection of PCT, achieving a linear dynamic range between 1 and 10 ng mLâ1 with a sensor sensitivity of 1.35 Ă 10â10 NIC%/ng mLâ1. The SPA produced an intra- and inter-day %RSD of 4.00 and 5.05%, with a material cost of ÂŁ1.14. Internally validated human serum results (3 sample measurements, 3 control) for raised levels of PCT (>2 ng mLâ1) were obtained, with no interference effects seen from CRP and IL-6. This SPA platform has the potential to offer clinicians vital information to rapidly begin treatment for âquery sepsisâ patients while awaiting results from more lengthy remote laboratory testing methods. Analytical ranges tested make this an ideal approach for rapid testing in specific patient populations (such as neonates or critically ill patients) in which PCT ranges are inherently wider. Due to the facile modification methods, we predict this could be used for various analytes on a single array, or the array increased further to maintain the internal validation of the system
Carga de trabalho de enfermagem para quantificar proporção profissional de enfermagem/paciente em UTI cardiológica
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