Influence of the Recirculation Zones on the Mass Transfer for a Drug- Eluting Stent

Abstract -The disturbance of the blood flow close to the struts of a drug-eluting stent plays a leading role on the drug release towards the lumen and the arterial wall. The intra-stent flow is characterized by two recirculation zones upstream and downstream of the strut. The size of these stagnant regions depends on the flow parameters (Reynolds and Womersley numbers) and on geometrical parameters (stent design, artery diameter…). For the steady flow in an artery when the Reynolds number increases, the size of the downstream recirculation zone in the flow direction linearly increases and the size of the upstream recirculation zone decreases. The mass transfer in the vicinity of the stent strut is strongly coupled with the flow in these recirculation zones. Indeed these regions are places where high concentrations of the active ingredient can occur. They control the mean concentration and the spatial distribution of the drug in the arterial wall close to the stent. The upstream recirculation zone plays the role of a drug source diffusing the active ingredient towards the arterial wall. Inversely the downstream recirculation zone acts like a drug sink removing the active ingredient from the arterial wall. Far from the stent, the drug concentration in the arterial wall is mainly controlled by the mass transfer coming from the top of the stent

The occupational exposure of dermatology nurses to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - evaluating the effectiveness of better skin protection.

Contains fulltext : 81224.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)OBJECTIVES: We studied the uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in nurses who apply ointments containing coal tar to patients and investigated the effectiveness of skin protection methods. METHODS: We determined gas-phase PAH on XAD-2 and particle-associated PAH on filters. We also used pads to determine PAH on the skin. Pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry; their respective urinary metabolites 1-hydroxypyrene and 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. RESULTS: We ruled out the inhalation of airborne pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene as the sources of PAH exposure. However, substantial amounts of pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene were observed on the hands of the nurses (median 33.0 and 16.4 ng/cm (2), respectively). Excretion of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene indicated an increased uptake of pyrene in 8 out of 12 nurses. We asked 35 nurses to perform a treatment with gloves followed by a second treatment without gloves. The use of gloves changed the excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene by -0.58 mumol (range -5.1-1.0 mumol), corresponding to a median reduction of 51.5% (P<0.001). Based on this finding, a new protocol was adopted, involving the permanent use of vinyl gloves and Tyvek sleeves. The effectiveness of this protocol was tested against pre-existing work practices and showed a 97% reduction in skin contamination with pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene, and a lowering in urinary excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene of 57%. CONCLUSION: Protecting the skin more stringently reduced pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene contamination of the hands, and lowered urinary excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene

New procedure to measure simultaneously the surface tension and contact angle

This paper proposes a new procedure to simultaneously measure the static contact angle and the surface tension of a liquid using a spherical geometry. Unlike the other existing methods, the knowledge of one of both previous parameters and the displacement of the sphere are not mandatory. The technique is based on the measurement of two simple physical quantities: the height of the meniscus formed on a sphere at the very contact with a liquid bath and the resulting vertical force exerted on this object at equilibrium. The meniscus height, whose exact value requires the numerical resolution of the Laplace equation, is often estimated with an approximate 2D model, valid only for very large spheres compared to the capillary length. We develop instead another simplified solution of the Young-Laplace equation based on the work of Ferguson for the meniscus on a cylinder and adapted for the spherical shape. This alternative model, which is less restrictive in terms of the sphere size, is successfully compared to numerical solutions of the complete Young-Laplace equation. It appears to be accurate for sphere radii larger than only two capillary lengths. Finally the feasibility of the method is experimentally tested and validated for three common liquids and two “small” steel spheres

Numerical simulation and experimental study of thrust air bearings with multiple orifices

The objective of this paper is to provide a numerical simulation and an experimental study in order to assess stiffness and damping characteristics of thrust air bearings with multiple orifices. Finite element modeling is used to solve the non-linear Reynolds equation while taking into account the movement equation for the bearing. The numerical results obtained show that performance characteristics are related to bearing design type. An experimental investigation allows us to analyze the behavior of thrust air bearings with several orifices as well as that of groove or porous material bearings. Frequency response measurements have been realized in order to compare the dynamic properties of the different bearings. The frequency responses obtained demonstrate that air bearings with multiple orifices have a damping higher than the other types in certain conditions. Air bearings with multiple orifices offer many advantages from a dynamic point of view. Their performance may be characterized not only by flow conditions but also by the number or diameter of the orifices in the bearing surface

Reflections on the OECD guidelines for in vitro skin absorption studies

At the 8th conference of Occupational and Environmental Exposure of the Skin to Chemicals (OEESC) (16–18 September 2019) in Dublin, Ireland, several researchers performing skin permeation assays convened to discuss in vitro skin permeability experiments. We, along with other colleagues, all of us hands-on skin permeation researchers, present here the results from our discussions on the available OECD guidelines. The discussions were especially focused on three OECD skin absorption documents, including a recent revision of one: i) OECD Guidance Document 28 (GD28) for the conduct of skin absorption studies (OECD, 2004), ii) Test Guideline 428 (TGD428) for measuring skin absorption of chemical in vitro (OECD, 2004), and iii) OECD Guidance Notes 156 (GN156) on dermal absorption issued in 2011 (OECD, 2011). GN156 (OECD, 2019) is currently under review but not finalized. A mutual concern was that these guidance documents do not comprehensively address methodological issues or the performance of the test, which might be partially due to the years needed to finalize and update OECD documents with new skin research evidence. Here, we summarize the numerous factors that can influence skin permeation and its measurement, and where guidance on several of these are omitted and often not discussed in published articles. We propose several improvements of these guidelines, which would contribute in harmonizing future in vitro skin permeation experiments