Extensive spinal epidural abscess complicated with hydrocephalus

Spinal epidural abscess is a rare but severe infection requiring prompt recognition in order to have a favorable outcome and appropriate treatment, mainly surgical. We present one of the largest extensions of such abscess in literature, involving the whole spine. No surgical treatment was tempted due to the involvement of 19 levels but antibiotics. The evolution of the lesion was complicated with hydrocephalus, by mechanism of cervical block of CSF flow, and needed first external derivation and later ventriculo-peritoneal drainage

Assessment of Antifungal Activity of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains Against Bread Spoilage Fungus Aspergillus ochraceus

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are generally recognized as safe and can be used against fungi that contaminate various food commodities. The aim of the research was to select LAB strains with high antifungal activity for the biocontrol of Aspergillus ochraceus. The antifungal activity of eight strains of lactic acid bacteria has been evaluated by overlay assay method against the spoilage fungus, Aspergillus ochraceus isolated from white bread. The antifungal effect was assessed by co-cultivation of lactic acid bacteria strains and Aspergillus ochraceus in liquid media and mycelium growth inhibition was monitored for over 14 days. The LAB strains Lpl, LAB 43 and LAB 13 presented intense antifungal activity with large inhibition zones of fungal growth and sporulation, but smaller for Lpa and LAB 15 strains. Total inhibition of mycelia growth was induced by the strains LAB 43, LAB 13 and Lpa. The strains LAB 15 and LAB 35 had a moderate inhibition activity on the mycelia growth. The results of this study demonstrated the antifungal activity of several LAB strains by overlay assay and by co-cultivation method. Therefore, it was confirmed the inhibitory effect of the strains LAB 43 and LAB 13 against Aspergillus ochraceus. The experiment revealed that these LAB strains could be further used as biocontrol agents

HYBRID EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT GENERATION

The main objective of this paper is to correctly define the hybrid equivalent circuits. These circuits allow the separation of the linear portions of electronic circuits from the nonlinear ones and in this way the polarization process of electronic devices becomes much more efficient. When linear and/or nonlinear analyzed circuits have a small number of nonlinear circuit elements, their analysis, synthesis, and simulation are performed more efficiently if the nonlinear part of circuit is separated from the linear one. A new modeling technique, called H ~ modeling, is introduced for multi-port networks. It is shown that H ~ models are more dynamic compared to equivalent Thevenin or Norton circuits and have the ability to describe port behavior more accurately. A special type of model H ~ is also introduced, called model H ~ nullified, or simply model H ~ and many properties of H modeling are investigated, including circuit energy management. It is shown that the H models are not limited to single-port networks, but also cover multiport. A major property of H modeling is the local polarization of transistors. It separates the nonlinear components from the linear portion of circuit for faster and more efficient polarization of circuit. Here a designer can take advantage of H-modeling and bias individual transistors (or in combinations) with no need to perform the normal circuit biasing. The proposed strategy separates linear and nonlinear portions of an analog circuit and takes more control of nonlinear portions. This separation of portions (components) of circuit is achieved by introducing a new port model that cancels the ports of nonlinear devices. In turn, this leads to a new technique for polarizing nonlinear components. This separation of portions (components) within the circuit is accomplished by introducing a new port modeling that nullifies the ports of nonlinear devices

The Improvement of the Resistance to Candida albicans

This paper presents the improvement of the antimicrobial character of woven fabrics based on cotton. The woven fabrics were cleaned in oxygen plasma and treated by padding with silver chloride and titanium dioxide particles. The existence of silver and titanium on woven fabrics was evidenced by electronic microscope images (SEM, EDAX) and by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The antimicrobial tests were performed with two fungi: Candida albicans and Trichophyton interdigitale. The obtained antimicrobial effect was considerably higher compared to the raw fabrics. Treatment of dyed fabrics with a colloidal solution based on silver chloride and titanium dioxide particles does not considerably influence colour resistance of dyes

INFLUENCE OF POSTURE ADOPTED BY DENTIST ON SPINE

Posture influences at work on the entire musculoskeletal apparatus, but with great consequences for the spine. Postural dentists use two totally different ways of working: seated working position and postural working position. The seating position is currently considered the ergonomic and postural is considered all unergonomic. This study aims to analyze the disco-vertebral and muscle pain, the conditions for carrying out or postural seating. The study was conducted on two groups A and B consisting of 43 random and that 47 dentists (49 women, 41 men), aged 30-55 years (maximum age of assets). The primary composition of the lots was the position taken during medical activity. Group A was selected for orthostatic position and group B seated on a wheelchair. In conclusion, there is an ideal working posture for the dentist, such as orthostatic position and sitting with the three types of support may be required for the backbone. Must always wanted workstations that causes less fatigue as being major change position after a period of time (maximum one hour)

Scanning Electron Microscopy Study on the Biodeterioration of Natural Fiber Materials Compared to Disposable Hygiene and Sanitary Products

Disposable personal care products are part of modern life, but these products could become a biological hazard in case of improper disposal. Therefore, our study compared the biodeterioration of plant-based woven materials (cotton, linen), animal materials (wool, leather), disposable hygiene products with cellulose fibers (sanitary pads, cosmetic pads), and chemical impregnated products (antimicrobial/sanitary wet wipes) using burial tests in two types of soils for 40 days. Weight loss (%) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that textiles are relatively quickly deteriorated compared to animal-based products, and the process is dependent on the soil type. According to SEM analysis, sanitary pads were the least deteriorated, followed by wet wipes and cosmetic pads (maximum weight loss 24.332% and 27.537%, respectively), and the process was influenced by the composition and structure of the product. These results were correlated with changes in the number of microbes and cellulolytic activity of soil near the samples, and eight isolates belong to Ascomycetes according to PCR analysis. This is the first report on the fate of disposable hygiene and sanitary products in soil, but further comprehensive research is required to reveal crucial insights about their potential hazards and to increase public awareness of the inappropriate disposal of these products

Scanning Electron Microscopy Study on the Biodeterioration of Natural Fiber Materials Compared to Disposable Hygiene and Sanitary Products

Disposable personal care products are part of modern life, but these products could become a biological hazard in case of improper disposal. Therefore, our study compared the biodeterioration of plant-based woven materials (cotton, linen), animal materials (wool, leather), disposable hygiene products with cellulose fibers (sanitary pads, cosmetic pads), and chemical impregnated products (antimicrobial/sanitary wet wipes) using burial tests in two types of soils for 40 days. Weight loss (%) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that textiles are relatively quickly deteriorated compared to animal-based products, and the process is dependent on the soil type. According to SEM analysis, sanitary pads were the least deteriorated, followed by wet wipes and cosmetic pads (maximum weight loss 24.332% and 27.537%, respectively), and the process was influenced by the composition and structure of the product. These results were correlated with changes in the number of microbes and cellulolytic activity of soil near the samples, and eight isolates belong to Ascomycetes according to PCR analysis. This is the first report on the fate of disposable hygiene and sanitary products in soil, but further comprehensive research is required to reveal crucial insights about their potential hazards and to increase public awareness of the inappropriate disposal of these products