Picosecond Pulsed Electric Fields and Promise in Neurodegeneration Research

The delivery of pulsed electric fields to biological cells for regenerative research and therapeutic applications is a field that has been widely explored. Picosecond pulsed electric fields have been shown to induce intracellular effects and directly target cell membrane proteins as well as being able to induce cell permeabilization and death by apoptosis. Additionally, ultrashort pulses can be focused and delivered in a noncontact manner for possible targeting of deep and inaccessible tissues. The unique characteristics of picosecond pulses make them a possible approach for treatment of Huntington\u27s and Alzheimer\u27s diseases, both characterized by progressive neuronal degeneration and death, and presence of intracellular and extracellular protein aggregates. In this study, the defining characteristics of picosecond pulses and neurodegenerative diseases are reviewed, and a description of how picosecond pulsed electric fields can be applied to disrupt protein aggregates, can target neural stem cell differentiation, and can be delivered to neurological tissue is provided

Fertility preservation in ovarian tumours

A considerable number of patients with a cancer diagnosis are of childbearing age and have not satisfied their desire for a family. Despite ovarian cancer (OC) usually occurring in older patients, 3%–14% are diagnosed at a fertile age with the overall 5-year survival rate being 91.2% in women ≤44 years of age when it is found at 1A–B stage. In this scenario, testing the safety and the efficacy of fertility sparing strategies in OC patients is very important overall in terms of quality of life. Unfortunately, the lack of randomised trials to validate conservative approaches does not guarantee the safety of fertility preservation strategies. However, evidence-based data from descriptive series suggest that in selected cases, the preservation of the uterus and at least one part of the ovary does not lead to a high risk of relapse. This conservative surgery helps to maintain organ function, giving patients of childbearing age the possibility to preserve their fertility. We hereby analysed the main evidence from the international literature on this topic in order to highlight the selected criteria for conservative management of OC patients, including healthy BRCA mutations carriers

Rehabilitation impact indices and their independent predictors: A systematic review

10.1136/bmjopen-2013-003483BMJ Open39

A Dielectric Rod Antenna for Picosecond Pulse Stimulation of Neurological Tissue

A dielectrically loaded wideband rod antenna has been studied as a pulse delivery system to subcutaneous tissues. Simulation results applying 100-ps electrical pulse show that it allows us to generate a critical electric field for biological effects, such as brain stimulation, in the range of several centimeters. In order to reach the critical electric field for biological effects, which is similar to 20 kV/cm, at a depth of 2 cm, the input voltage needs to be 175 kV. The electric field spot size in the brain at this position is similar to 1 cm(2). Experimental studies in free space with a conical antenna (part of the antenna system) with aluminum nitride as the dielectric have confirmed the accuracy of the simulation. These results set the foundation for high-voltage in situ experiments on the complete antenna system and the delivery of pulses to a biological tissue

Analysis of the saltwater wedge in a coastal karst aquifer with a double conduit network, numerical simulations and sensitivity analysis

We investigate the long-distance salinity in a dual permeability coastal karst aquifer with a double conduit network using a three-dimensional variable-density groundwater flow and multispecies transport SEAWAT model. Sensitivity analyses were used to evaluate the impact of the parameters and boundary conditions on the modeling saltwater wedge in a karstic aquifer situated in the Cuban land territory, including hydraulic conductivity, vertical anisotropy and salinity concentration; both in the conduits network and the fractured medium. These analyses indicated that hydraulic conductivity of the fractured medium and salt concentration were the ones that have a stronger effect on saltwater intrusion in a karstic aquifer. We also show results of the three-dimensional numerical simulations on groundwater salinity for different scenarios with the variabilities of the important parameters and compare results with electric conductivity profiles measured in a well

Comparison between tensile properties and indentation properties measured with various shapes indenters of Copper-Chromium-Zirconium alloy at macroscale level

In this paper the experimental results of tensile properties and indentationproperties, as a function of pyramidal and spherical indenters, of Copper-Chromium-Zirconium alloy, in the macro-scale range at room temperature, are presented and compared. Measurements are performed on three Cu-Cr-Zr samples in order to evaluate different heat treatments: two samples areaged for 2 hours in a vacuum furnace at 480 °C, 550 °C and one sample is kept as received. The experimental procedures for the measurement of indentation modulus, by using the primary hardness standard machine at INRiM, and tensile modulus, by means of engineering tensile tests at CIRA, aredescribed

Factor demand linkages, technology shocks, and the business cycle

This paper argues that factor demand linkages can be important for the transmission of both sectoral and aggregate shocks. We show this using a panel of highly disaggregated manufacturing sectors together with sectoral structural VARs. When sectoral interactions are explicitly accounted for, a contemporaneous technology shock to all manufacturing sectors implies a positive response in both output and hours at the aggregate level. Otherwise there is a negative correlation, as in much of the existing literature. Furthermore, we find that technology shocks are important drivers of the business cycle

Who Is Responsible for Nurse Wellbeing in a Crisis? A Single Centre Perspective

BACKGROUND: Leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic often manifested as a command-and-control style of leadership which had detrimental emotional impacts on staff, particularly the nursing workforce. Leadership can have detrimental effects on staff wellbeing, or it can greatly boost their ability to handle a crisis. We sought to explore the interrelationship between leadership and nurses’ wellbeing in an inner-city university hospital during the initial wave of the pandemic. METHODS: We conducted secondary analyses of interview data collected during a hospital-wide evaluation of barriers and facilitators to changes implemented to support the surge of COVID-19 related admissions during wave one. Data were collected through semi-structured video interviews during May–July 2020. Interviews were analysed using Framework analysis. RESULTS: Thirty-one nurses participated, including matrons (n = 7), sisters (n = 8), and specialist nursing roles (n = 16). Three overarching themes were identified: the impact on nurses, personal factors, and organisational factors. The impact on nurses manifested as distress and fatigue. Coping and help-seeking behaviours were found to be the two personal factors which underpinned nurses’ wellbeing. The organisational factors that impacted nurses’ wellbeing included decision-making, duty, and teamwork. CONCLUSIONS: The wellbeing of the workforce is pivotal to the health service, and it is mutually beneficial for patients, staff, and leaders. Addressing how beliefs and misconceptions around wellbeing are communicated and accessing psychological support are key priorities to supporting nurses during pandemics