Changes in characteristics of hospitalized heart failure patients in ten years: a single-center study

SummaryBackgroundProgress in therapy and the ageing patients hospitalized with heart failure may have impacted the characteristics of this patients.AimsWe compared epidemiological data of patients admitted with heart failure during two periods separated by a 10 year interval.MethodsCharacteristics of 353 heart failure patients recruited between 2002 and 2004 with those of 304 heart failure patients recruited between 1992 and 1994 were compared retrospectively.ResultsThere is now a majority of male patients (56.4%) not found ten years ago. The average age is unchanged (75.1±11 then 76.4±11 years) even though the proportion of patients aged over 70 years has increased (75% versus 70%). Hospital length of stay has fallen from 14±9 to 10±7 days. Hospital mortality (8%) are identical. The two main etiologies remain coronary and hypertensive heart disease at 29 and 24% respectively but these proportions are lower than ten years ago (42 and 28% respectively). The ejection fraction is more often preserved (56%) than before (44%). Increased prescription of inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system and beta-blockers is confirmed. Post-hospital and total mortality has fallen by 50 and 30% from 30 to 16% and 35 to 24% respectively at the expense of a 25% increase in the frequency of hospital readmissions from 29 to 38%.ConclusionEven if mortality has declined, heart failure remains a major public health burden with a significant number of hospital readmissions. Other approaches such as therapeutic education must therefore be developed

INFLUENCE DU TRAITEMENT THERMIQUE ET MECANIQUE SUR LES PROPRIETES MECANIQUES ET STRUCTURALES DES ACIERS AU MANGANESE MOULES.

Molded Steel with manganese have approximately 1,2% C and 12% Mn, this high proportion of manganese gives to this alloy a stable austenitic structure on a room temperature. The experimental methods used for metallurgical studies are spark optical emission spectroscopy, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, micro-hardness and hardnesss test. Steel 1 is heat-treated constitued by 15,516 % of manganese, 2,677 % of chromuim and 1,286 % of carbon. Steel 2 is mechanically treated contains 13,454 % of manganese, 1,721 % of chromuim and 1,213 % of carbon . Steel 1 has sustained quench at 1070°C, for two differents maintaining times on oven 30 and 50 minutes for a thickness of 150 millimeters then for two differents thickness 100 and 150 millimeters for a time of 50 minutes. When maintaining time on the oven increase for low dimension, surface’s alloy become more ductile. We have applied a mechanical treatement manually on steel 2 surface, his hardness increase significantly

MODELISATION DE L'INFLUENCE DU TRAITEMENT THERMIQUE SUR LES PROPRIETES MECANIQUES DES ALLIAGES ALUMINIUM-CUIVRE (Al-Cu)

In order to master and improve the quality and properties of the final products, the major industrial challenge lies in the possibility of controlling the morphology, size of microstructures that reside within the molded pieces, as well as their defects; this is the fundamental reason according to which we are more and more interested in mastering the growth and germination of such alloys, as well as the developing structures, at the time of solidification process. The modeling reveals as a valuable aid in the mastery of the formation of such heterogeneousness: segregation cells that are incompatible with industrial requirements. The whole work focuses upon the modeling of the segregation phenomenon of the four hypoeutectic alloys, Al1%Cu, Al2%Cu, Al3%Cu et Al4%Cu, as well as the copper effect upon certain mechanical properties of aluminum. Usually, the microstructure and mechanical behavior of such alloys as Al-Cu are directly influenced by some parameters such as composition, cooling velocity and homogenization process

Hadron calorimeter with MAPD readout in the NA61/SHINE experiment

The modular hadron calorimeter with micro-pixel avalanche photodiodes readout for the NA61/SHINE experiment at the CERN SPS is presented. The calorimeter consists of 44 independent modules with lead-scintillator sandwich structure. The light from the scintillator tiles is captured by and transported with WLS-fibers embedded in scintillator grooves. The construction provides a longitudinal segmentation of the module in 10 sections with independent MAPD readout. MAPDs with pixel density of $~10^{4}$/mm$^2$ ensure good linearity of calorimeter response in a wide dynamical range. The performance of the calorimeter prototype in a beam test is reported

Optimization of the Sequence of Washing Reverse Osmosis Membranes Used for Seawater Desalination

Seawater contains a number of organic and inorganic components that cause fouling of membranes when subjected to a process of reverse osmosis desalination. This fouling is one of the most important problems in the management of desalination plants, as it entails a significant loss in system performance. For membranes to be able to continue operating under appropriate conditions, they must undergo periodic cleaning protocols. This paper presents the results obtained when, subjecting a previously fouled aromatic polyamide membrane to different washing agents and using different concentrations of the same. Optimal concentrations of cleaning reagents were established. The results indicate that the performance of cleaning using a mixture of reagents, and alternating alkaline and acidic media, enabled maximum recovery of the membrane permeate flux (94.2 %) and a significant reduction in the consumption of cleaning reagents. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Advanced Technologies for Oral Controlled Release: Cyclodextrins for oral controlled release

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are used in oral pharmaceutical formulations, by means of inclusion complexes formation, with the following advantages for the drugs: (1) solubility, dissolution rate, stability and bioavailability enhancement; (2) to modify the drug release site and/or time profile; and (3) to reduce or prevent gastrointestinal side effects and unpleasant smell or taste, to prevent drug-drug or drug-additive interactions, or even to convert oil and liquid drugs into microcrystalline or amorphous powders. A more recent trend focuses on the use of CDs as nanocarriers, a strategy that aims to design versatile delivery systems that can encapsulate drugs with better physicochemical properties for oral delivery. Thus, the aim of this work was to review the applications of the CDs and their hydrophilic derivatives on the solubility enhancement of poorly water soluble drugs in order to increase their dissolution rate and get immediate release, as well as their ability to control (to prolong or to delay) the release of drugs from solid dosage forms, either as complexes with the hydrophilic (e.g. as osmotic pumps) and/ or hydrophobic CDs. New controlled delivery systems based on nanotechonology carriers (nanoparticles and conjugates) have also been reviewed