Prediction of Low Factor V Levels in Patients with Herbal Medicine Related Acute Liver Injury

  Background: Prior epidemiologic studies predicted a rapid rise in herbal medicine-related acute liver injury (HILI) and liver transplantation (LT) as trading of traditional herbal medicine drugs is expanded. HILI is the leading cause of liver transplantation in the world. The indication for LT was defined as acute liver failure (ALF) with the factor V (FV) level below 35%. Objective: To explore the possible impact of herbal medicine-related to the liver failure on the laboratory parameters and to determine if simple laboratory values play a role in determining lower FV levels. Materials and methods: Totally, 38 HILI cases who were admitted to a tertiary care hospital between May 2016 and May 2018 were scanned, retrospectively. Need for LT was assessed by the determination of FV levels. Results: The mean age of participants was 37±13 years where 27 (71%) were female while the rest were male and 81% of the total population were farmers. Total 78% patients were reportedly consuming herbal medicine pills, and 22% reported consuming traditional Turkish herbs. Among 38 cases with HILI in critical care, 2 (5.2%) have died, 3 (7.8%) underwent LT and 33 (87%) were recovered and discharged. Results of 38 patients with available data also showed that factor V levels were positively correlated with the hemoglobin and platelet levels (p<0.05) and negatively correlated with prothrombin time (p<0.05). Conclusion: These findings suggest that detecting anemia and thrombocytopenia could be an important, economically feasible strategy for improving outcomes in HILI

An Evaluation of the Protective Effects of Thymoquinone on Amikacin-Induced Ototoxicity in Rats

ObjectivesIn this study we investigated the probable protective effects of thymoquinone on amikacin-induced ototoxicity in rats.MethodsThirty-two healthy rats were divided into four groups (amikacin, amikacin+thymoquinone, thymoquinone, and no treatment). Thymoquinone was fed to the rats via oral gavage in a dose of 40 mg/kg/day throughout the study period of 14 days. Amikacin was given by the intramuscular route in a dose of 600 mg/kg/day. Audiological assessment was conducted by the distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) tests, administered to all rats at the beginning of the study, and also on days 7 and 15. Biochemical parameters were calculated at the termination of the study to evaluate the oxidative status.ResultsThere were significant decreases in DPOAE values and significant increases in ABR thresholds of the amikacin group on days 7 and 15, as compared to the amikacin+thymoquinone group. While ABR thresholds of the amikacin group increased significantly on days 7 and 15 as compared to their initial values, there were no significant differences between the initial and the 7th and 15th day values of ABR thresholds in the amikacin+thymoquinone group. Total oxidant status and oxidative stress index values of the amikacin+thymoquinone group were significantly lower than those of the amikacin group. Total antioxidant status values of the amikacin+thymoquinone group were significantly higher than those of the amikacin group.ConclusionOur study has demonstrated that the ototoxic effect brought forth by amikacin could be overcome with the concurrent use of thymoquinone

The Effect of Feldspar, Mica and Clay Minerals on Compressive Strength of Mortar

The mineralogical composition of fine aggregates plays an important role when used in mortar production because they generally effect the strength and durability of mortar structures. In this work, some mechanical aspects are highlighted concerning the use of fine aggregates containing Na-feldspar, K-feldspar, mica and some clay minerals such as kaolinite, illite and montmorillonite. With in this scope, total of there series of mortar mixtures were made with different water/cement ratio. First mixture was referance mortar prepared by using standard sand. In second mixtures, standard sand was replaced with 20 % Na-feldspar, K-feldspar and mica. Third mixtures contained 4 % of kaolinite, illite and montmorillonite as partial replacement of standard sand. According to the results obtained, addition of mica and clay minerals such as illite and montmorillonite with different percentages in standard sand causes to increase water demand in mortar and therefore reduce the strength of mortar

Evaluation of alkali reactivity of natural sands

Natural sands may lead to alkali-silica reaction in concrete when the conditions are favorable. However, natural sands vary in composition and therefore may demonstrate different reaction characteristics. The aim of this study is to compare alkali-silica reactivity of seven different natural sands with different origin. The particle size distributions for sand samples were firstly obtained by sieving method. Petrographic examinations, mineralogical and chemical analyses were firstly conducted to determine the mineralogical and chemical composition of sands. Then, accelerated mortar bar tests, ASTM C 1260, were performed. Additionally, SEM observations were conducted on the mortar bars. According to the results obtained, sands containing active silica and silicate minerals, metamorphic and volcanic rock particles are found to be potentially dangerous for alkali-silica reaction (ASR). The SEM observations have supported the expansion data. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Effect of binder burnout on the sealing performance of glass ceramics for solid oxide fuel cells

WOS: 000323628100098The glass ceramics composite sealants are among few materials suitable for the solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) due to their high operating temperatures (600 degrees C-850 degrees C). The glass ceramics chemically bond to both the metallic interconnector and the ceramic electrolyte and provide a gas tight connection. A careful and several stages manufacturing procedure is required to obtain a gas tight sealing. In this study, effects of binder burnout process on the sealing performance are investigated employing commercially available glass ceramic powders. The glass ceramic laminates are produced by mixing glass ceramic powders with the organic binders and employing a tape casting method. The laminates are sandwiched between the metallic interconnectors of an SOFC cell. The burnout and subsequent sealing quality are analyzed by measuring leakage rate and final macrostructure of sealing region. The effects of heating rate, dead weight load, solid loading, carrier gas and their flow rates are investigated. It is found that sealing quality is affected from all investigated parameters. While a slower heating rate is required for a better burnout, the mass flow rate of sweep gas must be adequate for removal of the burned gas. The leakage rate is reduced to 0.1 ml min(-1) with 2 degrees C min(-1) + 1 degrees C min(-1) heating rate, 86.25% solid loading, 200 N dead weight load and 500 ml min(-1) sweep gas flow rate. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Optimum processing parameters to improve sealing performance in solid oxide fuel cells

WOS: 000356549100082Glass ceramic composites are among the favorable candidates as a sealing material for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). In order to obtain a reliable, robust and hermetic sealing, the glass ceramics must chemically bond to both the metallic interconnector and the ceramic electrolyte. A high-bonding strength and good wetting, which strongly depend on the thermal treatment, are always preferred to ensure gas-tight sealing. The thermal treatment involves three stages: binder burnout (stage-I), sintering (stage-II), and cooling (stage-III). This study investigates effects of various parameters on the sealing quality at the sintering stage. The effects of sintering temperature, clamping pressure and sealant thickness are considered. The glass ceramic laminates are produced employing a tape casting method. The sealing quality is evaluated by measuring leakage and final macro-structure of the sealing region. It is suggested that a 900-930 degrees C sintering temperature and 1.5-7.6 N cm(-2) clamping pressure ranges are better for successful sealing. The initial thickness of glass ceramic laminates is also desired to be between 0.25-0.5 mm thickness range for both a cost-effective and reliable sealing. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved

Diagnostic dilemma of parotid lipomas: imaging versus fine needle aspiration cytology

Lipomas are common soft tissue neoplasms; however, they are found rarely in the parotid gland region. The purpose of this study was to analyze the diagnostic challenges of this rare condition. We performed a retrospective analysis of 11 patients with parotid lipomas, treated from November 2009 to February 2014. The mean age at diagnosis was 46.6±2.9 years, and the study population included 8 males and 3 females. Computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed in radiological diagnosis. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) was performed in all cases (including two times in five patients, for a total of 16 biopsies) and results were diagnostic in four instances. Specificities of the CT, MRI, and FNA cytology tests were 100%, 100%, and 25% respectively. CT and/or MRI scans were more reliable than FNA cytologies for accurate diagnosis of parotid lipomas