Flowcytometric assessment of fetomaternal hemorrhage during external cephalic version at term

External cephalic version (ECV) at term is a safe procedure and reduces the incidence of cesarean sections for breech presentation. One of the known complications, however, is an ECV-related disruption of the placental barrier and a subsequent transfusion of fetal blood into maternal circulation. While the incidence of ECV-related fetomaternal hemorrhage (FMH) has been determined recently in a large trial using a manual Kleihauer-Betke test (KBT), questions remain on the amount of ECV-related FMH. KBT, which detects fetal red blood cells (RBC) on the basis of acidic resistance of fetal hemoglobin (HbF), is known to be a sensitive test, yet prone to procedural errors limiting its accuracy in quantifying FMH. In this study we investigated 50 patients for FMH before and after ECV, using a dual-color flow cytometric test kit with a lower limit of quantification of 0.05% fetal RBC in maternal peripheral blood. Three patients had a quantifiable increase of fetal RBC detected after ECV (0.06%; 0.08%; 0.1%). None of these subtle increments was predictable by ECV-related clinical parameters or translated into fetal compromise. Using a sensitive and accurate flow cytometric test method, our data provide further assurance to mothers on the safety of ECV at term

Bildungsressourcen hochaltriger Menschen im Alten- und Pflegeheim. Eine qualitative Studie zu vorhandenen Ressourcen und faktischer Bildungsbeteiligung von Menschen im hohen Lebensalter durchgeführt in einer stationären Senioreneinrichtung

Seitdem sich ganz unterschiedliche gesellschaftliche Bereiche notgedrungen (um die Herausforderungen des demografischen Wandels Schultern zu können) und endlich (um den alten Menschen selbst gerecht zu werden) mit dem Paradigmenwechsel des Alters beschäftigen, erfolgt gleichzeitig mit der neuen Sichtweise auf die Potenziale des Alters eine Aufwertung von Lern- und Bildungsprozessen über die gesamte Lebensspanne bis ins hohe Alter. Das impliziert, dass auch sehr alte Bewohnerinnen und Bewohner von Alten und Pflegeeinrichtungen einen Anspruch auf Partizipation an Bildung haben. Hier setzen die Fragestellungen der vorliegenden Arbeit an: Können stationäre Einrichtungen den Ansprüchen an Angebote, die zum Lernen anregen und zu Bildungsprozessen führen können, gerecht werden? Wie ist es zu erklären, dass sich Hochbetagte ohne gravierende kognitive Einbußen von heimintern organisierten Veranstaltungen eher zurückziehen? Die Problematik ergibt sich daraus, dass in stationären Einrichtungen vorrangig Bewohner, die von einer Demenz betroffen oder bettlägerig sind, sozial-therapeutisch begleitet werden sollen. Gegenstand der Dissertation ist eine qualitativ empirische Untersuchung zu den Bildungsressourcen und der Bildungsaspiration hochaltriger Bewohner einer stationären Einrichtung der Altenhilfe. In zehn Interviews mit Bewohnern zwischen 90 und 100 Jahren ohne diagnostizierte Demenz wurden deren aktuelle Bedürfnisse erfasst und zur tatsächlichen Angebotsstruktur in Beziehung gesetzt. Die sehr unterschiedlichen Beweggründe für ein Fernbleiben von Angeboten ließen sich erst im persönlichen Gespräch mit den Hochbetagten ermitteln. In den Interviews wurde deutlich, dass Angebote dann ernst genommen werden, wenn sie mit der aktuellen individuellen Lebensgestaltung übereinstimmen. Zudem ist festzustellen, dass Hochbetagte von Multimorbidität geprägte Menschen durchaus noch Lernpotenziale haben, die unter geeigneten Bedingungen gefördert werden und zur persönlichen Bildung beitragen können. Subjektive Werte und Ansichten, aber auch Möglichkeiten und Einschränkungen bestimmen die Wünsche an die Inhalte, die sich alten Menschen zumeist nicht offensichtlich als „Bildung“ erschließen, sondern unter dem Aspekt der Freizeitgestaltung wahrgenommen werden. Vor dem Hintergrund eines geragogischen Bildungsbegriffs, der einem emanzipativen Verständnis folgt und auch den spezifischen und alltagsrelevanten Bedürfnissen im hohen Alter gerecht werden kann, indem er Aspekte wie Kommunikation und Interaktion mit anderen stärker in den Mittelpunkt stellt als vielleicht in anderen Lebensphasen, können sowohl organisierte Angebote als auch informelle Settings individuelle Lern- und Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten eröffnen und Bildungsprozesse initiieren

The mitochondria-independent cytotoxic effect of nelfinavir on leukemia cells can be enhanced by sorafenib-mediated mcl-1 downregulation and mitochondrial membrane destabilization

Background: Nelfinavir is an HIV protease inhibitor that has been used for a long period of time to treat HIVinfected individuals. It has recently emerged that nelfinavir could represent a prospective new anti-cancer drug, prompting us to test the effect of nelfinavir on leukemia cells. Methods: By combining in vitro and ex vivo studies, the effect of nelfinavir on leukemia cells and non-malignant, bone marrow-derived tissue cells was analyzed. Results: At a concentration of 9 mu g/ml, nelfinavir induced death of 90% of HL60, IM9, and Jurkat cells. At the same concentration and treatment conditions, less than 10% of aspirated human bone marrow cells showed nelfinavir-induced cell damage. Nelfinavir-induced death of leukemia cells was accompanied by activation of caspases 3, 7, and 8. Despite caspase activation, the upregulation of the anti-apoptotic bcl-2 family member protein mcl-1 that resulted from nelfinavir treatment stabilized the mitochondrial membrane potential, resulting in primarily mitochondria-independent cell death. Pharmacological downregulation of mcl-1 expression by treatment with sorafenib (2 mu g/ml) significantly enhanced nelfinavir-induced apoptosis even at lower nelfinavir concentrations (5 mu g/ml), but did not have additional detrimental effects on non-malignant bone marrow cells. Conclusions: The ability of nelfinavir to induce apoptosis in leukemia cells as a single agent in a mitochondria-independent manner might suggest it could be used as a second or third line of treatment for leukemia patients for whom standard mitochondria-directed treatment strategies have failed. Combination treatment with nelfinavir and sorafenib might further enhance the efficacy of nelfinavir even on chemo-resistant leukemia cells

Novel Nucleoside Analogues as Effective Antiviral Agents for Zika Virus Infections

Previously considered a neglected flavivirus, Zika virus has recently emerged as a public health concern due to its ability to spread rapidly and cause severe neurological disorders, such as microcephaly in newborn babies from infected mothers, and Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults. Despite extensive efforts towards the identification of effective therapies, specific antivirals are still not available. As part of ongoing medicinal chemistry studies to identify new antiviral agents, we screened against Zika virus replication in vitro in a targeted internal library of small-molecule agents, comprising both nucleoside and non-nucleoside agents. Among the compounds evaluated, novel aryloxyphosphoramidate prodrugs of the nucleosides 2′-C-methyl-adenosine, 2-CMA, and 7-deaza-2′C-methyl-adenosine, 7-DMA, were found to significantly inhibit the virus-induced cytopathic effect in multiple relevant cell lines. In addition, one of these prodrugs exhibits a synergistic antiviral effect against Zika virus when applied in combination with an indirect antiviral agent, a l-dideoxy bicyclic pyrimidine nucleoside analogue, which potently inhibits vaccinia and measles viruses in vitro by targeting a host pathway. Our findings provide a solid basis for further development of an antiviral therapy for Zika virus infections, possibly exploiting a dual approach combining two different agents, one targeting the viral polymerase (direct-acting antiviral), the second targeting a host-directed autophagy mechanism

Процесс фтороаммонийной переработки высокофтористых бериллиевых концентратов

В работе приведено научное обоснование способа фтороаммонийной переработки высокофтористого бериллиевого концентрата, предложены технологические режимы переработки бериллиевого концентрата. Исследование технологического процесса и определение режимов, обеспечивающих экономически эффективную переработку концентратов, проводили на специально изготовленной опытной установке. В результате работы создана и апробирована принципиальная схема переработки бериллиевых концентратов, разработано аппаратурное оформление процесса. Приведено технико-экономическое обоснование технологии.The scientific substantiation of the processing of high-fluoride beryllium concentrates by ammonium fluoride is given in graduation thesis. Technological conditions of beryllium concentrate processing are proposed. The research of the technological process and determination of the conditions providing cost-effective processing of concentrates was carried out on a specially manufactured pilot plant. As a result of the work, a basic scheme for the processing of beryllium concentrates was developed and approved, and the hardware design of the process was developed. The feasibility study of technology is shown

Rotational dynamics of optically trapped polymeric nanofibers

The optical trapping of polymeric nanofibers and the characterization of the rotational dynamics are reported. A strategy to apply a torque to a polymer nanofiber, by tilting the trapped fibers using a symmetrical linear polarized Gaussian beam is demonstrated. Rotation frequencies up to 10 Hz are measured, depending on the trapping power, the fiber length and the tilt angle. A comparison of the experimental rotation frequencies in the different trapping configurations with calculations based on optical trapping and rotation of linear nanostructures through a T-Matrix formalism, accurately reproduce the measured data, providing a comprehensive description of the trapping and rotation dynamics.Comment: (21 pages, 5 figures

Supporting stimulation needs in dementia care through wall-sized displays

Beside reminiscing, the increasing cognitive decline in dementia can also be addressed through sensory stimulation allowing the immediate, nonverbal engagement with the world through one’s senses. Much HCI work has prioritized cognitive stimulation for reminiscing or personhood often on small screens, while less research has explored sensory stimulation like the one enabled by large displays. We describe a year-long deployment in a residential care home of a wall-sized display, and explored its domestication through 24 contextual interviews. Findings indicate strong engagement and attachment to the display which has inspired four psychosocial interventions using online generic content. We discuss the value of these findings for personhood through residents’ exercise of choices, the tension between generic/personal content and its public/private use, the importance of participatory research approach to domestication, and the infrastructure-based prototype, illustrated by the DementiaWall and its generative quality

Stromal Interferon-γ Signaling and Cross-Presentation Are Required to Eliminate Antigen-Loss Variants of B Cell Lymphomas in Mice

To study mechanisms of T cell-mediated rejection of B cell lymphomas, we developed a murine lymphoma model wherein three potential rejection antigens, human c-MYC, chicken ovalbumin (OVA), and GFP are expressed. After transfer into wild-type mice 60–70% of systemically growing lymphomas expressing all three antigens were rejected; lymphomas expressing only human c-MYC protein were not rejected. OVA expressing lymphomas were infiltrated by T cells, showed MHC class I and II upregulation, and lost antigen expression, indicating immune escape. In contrast to wild-type recipients, 80–100% of STAT1-, IFN-γ-, or IFN-γ receptor-deficient recipients died of lymphoma, indicating that host IFN-γ signaling is critical for rejection. Lymphomas arising in IFN-γ- and IFN-γ-receptor-deficient mice had invariably lost antigen expression, suggesting that poor overall survival of these recipients was due to inefficient elimination of antigen-negative lymphoma variants. Antigen-dependent eradication of lymphoma cells in wild-type animals was dependent on cross-presentation of antigen by cells of the tumor stroma. These findings provide first evidence for an important role of the tumor stroma in T cell-mediated control of hematologic neoplasias and highlight the importance of incorporating stroma-targeting strategies into future immunotherapeutic approaches

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis