Antibacterial Effect of Persicaria thunbergii on Staphylococcus aureus

With the discovery of various antibiotic resistant bacteria, evaluations of antimicrobial activities of natural compounds have been preceded on antibiotic susceptible and resistant microorganisms. Several types of natural compounds have been reported to have similar effects on target microorganisms as compared to the widely used antibiotics. Persicaria thunbergii (Polygonaceae) has been known to have anti-tumoral, anti-angiogenesis, anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation functions. In this study, aerial parts of P. thunbergii were extracted using methanol, chloroform, and ethyl acetate to identify possible anti-bacterial effects. Agar disk diffusion method and time-kill assay were done to evaluate the antibacterial effect of P. thunbergii extracts. Two extracts ethyl acetate (EAE), and chloroform (CFE) were tested against Staphylococcus aureus. As a result, the extract from CFE and EAE showed antibacterial effect against S. aureus. The extract EAE showed the strongest inhibition effect compared to CFE. These results demonstrate that the EAE extract which originated from P. thunbergii can probably play a role as an antibacterial agent

Economical Auto Moment Limiter for Preventing Mobile Cargo Crane Overload

This study presents a computational method called economical auto moment limiter (eAML) that prevents a mobile cargo crane from being overloaded. The eAML detects and controls, in real time, crane overload without using boom stroke sensors and load cells, which are expensive items inevitable to existing AML systems, hence, being competitive in price. It replaces these stroke sensors and load cells that are used for the crane overload measurement with a set of mathematical formula and control logics that calculates the lifting load being handled under crane operation and the maximum lifting load. By calculating iterative them using only a pressure sensor attached under the derrick cylinder and the boom angle sensor, the mathematical model identifies the maximum descendible angle of the boom. The control logic presents the control method for preventing the crane overload by using the descendible angle obtained by the mathematical model. Both the mathematical model and the control logic are validated by rigorous simulation experiments using MATLAB on two case instances each of which eAML is used and not used, while changing the pressures on the derrick cylinder and the boom angle. The effectiveness and validity of the method are confirmed by comparing the outputs obtained by the controlled experiments performed by using a 7.6 ton crane on top of SCS887 and a straight-type maritime heavy-duty crane along with eAML. The effects attributed to the load and the wind speed are quantified to verify the reliability of eAML under the changes in external variables. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.1

Pediatric Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation: Results of Initial 100 Consecutive Cases Including Congenital Heart Anomalies

Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) has recently become a management option for pediatric tachycardia. We reviewed the records of a total of 100 patients (aged 10 months to 19 yr) who had undergone RFCA, from March 2000 to June 2004. Types of arrhythmia (age, acute success rate) were as follows: atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia (AVRT, 9.0±3.7 yr, 66/67), atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT, 13±2.5 yr, 16/16), ectopic atrial tachycardia (6.4±3.3 yr, 5/5), junctional ectopic tachycardia (10 month, 1/1), ventricular tachycardia (12±4.9 yr, 6/6), postsurgical intraatrial reentrant tachycardia (15.6±4.1 yr, 2/3), twin node tachycardia (4 yr, 0/1), and His bundle ablation (9 yr, 1/1). The age of AVNRT was older than that of AVRT (p=0.002). Associated cardiac disease was detected in 17 patients, including 6 univentricular patients, and 3 Ebstein's anomaly patients. RFCA for multiple accessory pathways required longer fluoroscopic times than did the single accessory pathway (53.9±4.8 vs. 36.2±24.1 min; p=0.03), and was associated with a higher recurrence rate (3/9 vs. 3/53; p=0.03). Regardless of the presence or absence of cardiac diseases, the overall acute success rate was 97% without major complications, the recurrence rate was 8.2%, and the final success rate was 97%. This experience confirmed the efficacy and safety of RFCA in the management of tachycardia in children

Optimization of ex vivo hematopoietic stem cell expansion in intermittent dynamic cultures

For the ex vivo expansion of CD34+ cells, culture conditions were optimized using cytokine cocktails and media change methods. In addition, static, orbital-shake, and stirred cultures were compared. After cultivation, total cell expansion, immunophenotypes, clonogenic ability, and metabolite concentration in media were analyzed. Optimized media change methods enhanced the number of total nucleated cells (TNCs) by 600-fold (from 104 to 6 × 106 cells) in static cultures. Furthermore, intermittent orbital-shake cultures gave the highest fold increase of TNCs and CD34+/CD38− cells. These results imply that proliferation of CD34+ cells in intermittent shake cultures was more efficient than that in static cultures under optimized culture conditions

Randomized Comparison of Four-Times-Daily versus Once-Daily Intravenous Busulfan in Conditioning Therapy for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

AbstractSixty patients were randomized to receive intravenous busulfan (iBU) either as 0.8 mg/kg, over 2 hours 4 times a day (BU4 arm) or 3.2 mg/kg, over 3 hours once a day (BU1 arm) in conditioning therapy for hematopoietic cell transplantation. The complete pharmacokinetic parameters for the first busulfan dose were obtained from all patients and were comparable between the 2 arms: for the BU4 and BU1 groups, elimination half-life (mean ± SD) was 2.75 ± 0.22 versus 2.83 ± 0.21 hours, estimated daily AUC was 6058.0 ± 1091.9 versus 6475.5 ± 1099.4 μM·min per day, and clearance was 2.05 ± 0.36 versus 1.91 ± 0.31 mL/min/kg, respectively. Times to engraftment after transplantation were similar between the 2 arms. No significant differences were evident in the occurrence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) and hepatic veno-occlusion disease (VOD). Moreover, other toxicities observed within 100 days after transplantation were not significantly different between the 2 arms. The cumulative incidence of nonrelapse mortality was 20.8% in BU4 arm and 13.3% in BU1 arm. In conclusion, our randomized study demonstrates that the pharmacokinetic profiles and posttransplant complications are similar for once-daily iBU and traditional 4-times-daily iBU

Dexrazoxane for Preventing Anthracycline Cardiotoxicity in Children with Solid Tumors

This study attempted to assess the incidence and outcome of anthracycline cardiotoxicity and the role of dexrazoxane as a cardioprotectant in childhood solid tumors. The dexrazoxane group included 47 patients and the control group of historical cohort included 42. Dexrazoxane was given in the 10:1 ratio to doxorubicin. Fractional shortening and systolic and diastolic left ventricular diameters were used to assess the cardiac function. The median follow-ups were 54 months in the dexrazoxane group and 86 months in the control group. The mean cumulative doses of doxorubicin were 280.8±83.4 mg/m2 in the dexrazoxane group and 266.1±75.0 mg/m2 in the control group. The dexrazoxane group experienced significantly fewer cardiac events (27.7% vs. 52.4%) and less severe congestive heart failure (6.4% vs. 14.3%) than the control group. Thirteen cardiotoxicities including one cardiac death and 2 congestive heart failures occurred in the dexrazoxane group, and 22 cardiotoxicities including 2 cardiac deaths and 4 congestive heart failures, in the control group. Five year cardiac event free survival rates were 69.2% in the dexrazoxane group and 45.8% in the control group (P=0.04). Dexrazoxane reduces the incidence and severity of early and late anthracycline cardiotoxicity in childhood solid tumors