The optical properties of Poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) polymers doped by Potassium Iodide with different thickness

Films of pure Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) doped by potassium iodide (KI) salt with percentages (1%) at different thickness prepared by casting method at room temperature. In order to study the effect of increasing thickness on optical properties, transmission and absorption spectra have been record for five different thicknesses(80,140,210,250,320)µm. The study has been extended to include the changes in the band gap energies, refractive index, extinction coefficient and absorption coefficient with thickness

The Effects of Tamoxifen on Plasma Lipoprotein(a) Concentrations: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator widely used in the treatment of breast cancer. Tamoxifen therapy is associated with reduced circulating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increased triglycerides, but its effects on other lipids are less-well studied. Aims: We aimed to investigate the effect of tamoxifen on circulating concentrations of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) through systematic review and meta-analysis of available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies. Methods: This study was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42016036890). Scopus, Medline and EMBASE were searched from inception until 22nd March 2016 to identify studies investigating the effect of tamoxifen on Lp(a) values in humans. Results: Meta-analysis of 5 studies with 284 participants suggested a significant reduction of Lp(a) levels following tamoxifen treatment (weighted mean difference [WMD]: -3.53 mg/dL, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -6.53, -0.53, p=0.021). When studies were categorized according tamoxifen dose, there was a significant effect in the subset of studies with administered doses ≥20 mg/day (WMD: -5.05 mg/dL, 95% CI: -7.86, -2.23, p<0.001), but not in the subset with doses <20 mg/day (WMD: -1.41 mg/dL, 95% CI: -5.13, 2.31, p=0.458). With respect to duration of treatment, a greater effect was observed in subgroup of studies administering tamoxifen for <12 weeks (WMD: -4.01 mg/dL, 95% CI: -7.84, -0.18, p=0.04) versus the subgroup of studies lasting ≥12 weeks (WMD: -2.48 mg/dL, 95% CI: -5.50, 0.53, p=0.107). Conclusions: Meta-analysis suggested a significant reduction of Lp(a) levels following tamoxifen treatment. Further well-designed trials are required to validate these results

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortiu (INICC) report, data summary of 43 countries for 2007-2012. Device-associated module

We report the results of an International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) surveillance study from January 2007-December 2012 in 503 intensive care units (ICUs) in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. During the 6-year study using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) U.S. National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care–associated infection (DA-HAI), we collected prospective data from 605,310 patients hospitalized in the INICC's ICUs for an aggregate of 3,338,396 days. Although device utilization in the INICC's ICUs was similar to that reported from ICUs in the U.S. in the CDC's NHSN, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals: the pooled rate of central line–associated bloodstream infection in the INICC's ICUs, 4.9 per 1,000 central line days, is nearly 5-fold higher than the 0.9 per 1,000 central line days reported from comparable U.S. ICUs. The overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia was also higher (16.8 vs 1.1 per 1,000 ventilator days) as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (5.5 vs 1.3 per 1,000 catheter days). Frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas isolates to amikacin (42.8% vs 10%) and imipenem (42.4% vs 26.1%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (71.2% vs 28.8%) and imipenem (19.6% vs 12.8%) were also higher in the INICC's ICUs compared with the ICUs of the CDC's NHSN