5,181 research outputs found
Medicinal plants and phytotherapy in traditional medicine of Paruro Province, Cusco department, Peru
Medicinal plants constitute a very important resource in Peru both in culture and health-care systems, and
a deep knowledge about the curative properties of plants has been developed, namely in rural areas. An
ethnobotanical investigation was carried out in Paruro Province, Peru, with the aim to producing a census of
medicinal plants utilized in traditional medical practices. Collection of information was performed in the field,
by interwievig 118 traditional healers and collecting data on therapuetical uses of plant. The use of two
hundred fifty five plants belonging to 73 families is reported. For each species the following data are provided:
latin binomial, vernacular name(s), medicinal uses and preparation of the remedy. Data reported confirms
the fundamental importance of medicinal plants in care-health systems and the deep knowledge about
the curative properties of vegetal species in the studied area, which may potentially constitute a source of
new pharmaceuticals
Anomalous coupling between topological defects and curvature
We investigate a counterintuitive geometric interaction between defects and
curvature in thin layers of superfluids, superconductors and liquid crystals
deposited on curved surfaces. Each defect feels a geometric potential whose
functional form is determined only by the shape of the surface, but whose sign
and strength depend on the transformation properties of the order parameter.
For superfluids and superconductors, the strength of this interaction is
proportional to the square of the charge and causes all defects to be repelled
(attracted) by regions of positive (negative) Gaussian curvature. For liquid
crystals in the one elastic constant approximation, charges between 0 and
are attracted by regions of positive curvature while all other charges
are repelled.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, minor changes, accepted for publication in Phys.
Rev. Let
Acoustic charge transport in n-i-n three terminal device
We present an unconventional approach to realize acoustic charge transport
devices that takes advantage from an original input region geometry in place of
standard Ohmic input contacts. Our scheme is based on a n-i-n lateral junction
as electron injector, an etched intrinsic channel, a standard Ohmic output
contact and a pair of in-plane gates. We show that surface acoustic waves are
able to pick up electrons from a current flowing through the n-i-n junction and
steer them toward the output contact. Acoustic charge transport was studied as
a function of the injector current and bias, the SAW power and at various
temperatures. The possibility to modulate the acoustoelectric current by means
of lateral in-plane gates is also discussed. The main advantage of our approach
relies on the possibility to drive the n-i-n injector by means of both voltage
or current sources, thus allowing to sample and process voltage and current
signals as well.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Applied Physics Letter
Colposcopy Accuracy and Diagnostic Performance: A Quality Control and Quality Assurance Survey in Italian Tertiary-Level Teaching and Academic Institutions—The Italian Society of Colposcopy and Cervico-Vaginal Pathology (SICPCV)
Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA) principles are essential for effective cervical cancer prevention. Being a crucial diagnostic step, colposcopy’s sensitivity and specificity improvements are strongly advocated worldwide since inter- and intra-observer differences are the main limiting factors. The objective of the present study was the evaluation of colposcopy accuracy through the results of a QC/QA assessment from a survey in Italian tertiary-level academic and teaching hospitals. A web-based, user-friendly platform based on 100 colposcopic digital images was forwarded to colposcopists with different levels of experience. Seventy-three participants were asked to identify colposcopic patterns, provide personal impressions, and indicate the correct clinical practice. The data were correlated with a panel of experts’ evaluation and with the clinical/pathological data of the cases. Overall sensitivity and specificity with the threshold of CIN2+ accounted for 73.7% and 87.7%, respectively, with minor differences between senior and junior candidates. Identification and interpretation of colposcopic patterns showed full agreement with the experts’ panel, ranging from 50% to 82%, in some instances with better results from junior colposcopists. Colposcopic impressions correlated with a 20% underestimation of CIN2+ lesions, with no differences linked to level of experience. Our results demonstrate the good diagnostic performance of colposcopy and the need for improving accuracy through QC assessments and adhesion to standard requirements and recommendations
Ostial plication: a rarely reported cause of sudden death
We report a rare case of ostial plication as a potential cause of sudden death. Very few reports and images are available in the specialized literature regarding this anomaly. Ostial plication may be a source of sudden death or cause of death when no other significant autopsy findings are present
Effects of low-dose VOSO4 on age-related changes in glucose homeostasis in rats
The effects of low doses of vanadyl sulfate (0.2 mg/ml in the drinking water) on
the age-related impairment of glucose homeostasis in Sprague-Dawley rats were
investigated. VOSO(4) administration was initiated in 5-month-old animals and
lasted 3 months. Thus, in 8-month-old rats, we investigated glucose metabolism in
vivo and insulin secretory function in vitro. Results showed that VOSO(4) allowed
the disposal of an oral glucose load at lower insulin levels than in age-matched
controls. No significant changes were found in muscle glucose transporter
(GLUT-4) levels or in glycogen content upon VOSO(4) treatment. Islets isolated
from VOSO(4)-treated rats released less insulin than control islets, but showed a
better preserved sensitivity to secretagogues, in terms of incremental release
over basal release, secretory efficiency, and maintenance of the priming effect
of glucose. In conclusion, chronic low-dose VOSO(4) treatment facilitates insulin
action by a mechanism independent of muscle GLUT-4 levels and helps preserve the
appropriate sensitivity of beta cells to stimuli, thereby preventing
age-dependent functional alterations
Dendritic Spine Morphology Determines Membrane-Associated Protein Exchange between Dendritic Shafts and Spine Heads
The purpose of this study was to examine whether variability in the shape of dendritic spines affects protein movement within the plasma membrane. Using a combination of confocal microscopy and the fluorescence loss in photobleaching technique in living hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons expressing membrane-linked GFP, we observed a clear correlation between spine shape parameters and the diffusion and compartmentalization of membrane-associated proteins. The kinetics of membrane-linked GFP exchange between the dendritic shaft and the spine head compartment were slower in dendritic spines with long necks and/or large heads than in those with short necks and/or small heads. Furthermore, when the spine area was reduced by eliciting epileptiform activity, the kinetics of protein exchange between the spine compartments exhibited a concomitant decrease. As synaptic plasticity is considered to involve the dynamic flux by lateral diffusion of membrane-bound proteins into and out of the synapse, our data suggest that spine shape represents an important parameter in the susceptibility of synapses to undergo plastic chang
Niobium–niobium oxide multilayered coatings for corrosion protection of proton-irradiated liquid water targets for [18F] production
Abstract Chemically inert coatings on Havar ® entrance foils of the targets for [ 18 F] production via proton irradiation of enriched water at pressurized conditions are needed to decrease the amount of ionic contaminants released from Havar ® . During current investigation, magnetron sputtered niobium and niobium oxide were chosen as the candidates for protective coatings because of their superior chemical resistance. Aluminated quartz substrates allowed us to verify the protection efficiency of the desirable coatings as diffusion barriers. Two modeling corrosion tests based on the extreme susceptibility of aluminum to liquid gallium and acid corrosion were applied. As far as niobium coatings obtained by magnetron sputtering are columnar, the grain boundaries provide a fast diffusion path for active species of corrosive media to penetrate and to corrode the substrate. Amorphous niobium oxide films obtained by reactive magnetron sputtering showed superior barrier properties according to the corrosion tests performed. In order to prevent degrading of brittle niobium oxide at high pressures, multilayers combining high ductility of niobium with superior diffusion barrier efficiency of niobium oxide were proposed. The intercalation of niobium oxide interlayers was proved to interrupt the columnar grain growth of niobium during sputtering, resulting in improved diffusion barrier efficiency of obtained multilayers. The thin layer multilayer coating architecture with 70 nm bi-layer thickness was found preferential because of higher thermal stability
Acute Effects of Kinesio Taping on Functional Performance in Healthy Soccer Players: A Randomized, Controlled Crossover Trial
this study aimed to investigate the acute effects of the kinesio tape (KT) application on functional performance in healthy athletes. in this randomized, controlled crossover trial, a total of sixteen healthy soccer players (male = 14; age = 23.28 +/- 3.13 years old) were assigned randomly into either KT over quadriceps, KT over hamstring, KT over quadriceps plus hamstring, or no intervention control condition. four conditions were applied in a crossover design through three consecutive test sessions for each condition with a washout period of 2 days between the trials. afterwards, all participants performed a 5-min warm-up routine and four sets of 30-s static stretching exercises for the hamstring and gluteal muscles for three consecutive treatment sessions. the running, jump, and flexibility tests were used to assess the functional performance of healthy athletes. a total of sixteen participants completed the study. no significant differences in the jump, flexibility, and running tests among the conditions were reported (p > 0.05). these findings suggest that KT application has no acute effects in improving functional performance in healthy athletes. however, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to verify our results
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