Electrochemical reduction of carbamazepine in ethanol and water solutions using a glassy carbon electrode

The electrochemical reduction of carbamazepine in ethanol and water using a glassy carbon electrode has been studied. In all experimental conditions of scan rate and concentration of carbamazepine an irreversible cathodic wave was observed by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Electrochemical parameters and a plausible EqC mechanism have been reported from the electrochemical measurements and digital simulation. The values of thermodynamic E1/2 were correlated with solvent polarity parameters that it can be interesting for biological, pharmaceutical and forensic purposes. Limits of Detection (LOD) for DPV are 1.1 and 9.0 g/mL (4.65x10-6 and 3.81x10-5 M) in ethanol and water, respectively. The precision and recoveries obtained for tablets and plasma samples showed that the method could be successfully used for analysis

Design, Implementation, and Empirical Validation of a Framework for Remote Car Driving Using a Commercial Mobile Network

Despite the fact that autonomous driving systems are progressing in terms of their automation levels, the achievement of fully self-driving cars is still far from realization. Currently, most new cars accord with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Level 2 of automation, which requires the driver to be able to take control of the car when needed: for this reason, it is believed that between now and the achievement of fully automated self-driving car systems, there will be a transition, in which remote driving cars will be a reality. In addition, there are tele-operation-use cases that require remote driving for health or safety reasons. However, there is a lack of detailed design and implementation available in the public domain for remote driving cars: therefore, in this work we propose a functional framework for remote driving vehicles. We implemented a prototype, using a commercial car. The prototype was connected to a commercial 4G/5G mobile network, and empirical experiments were conducted, to validate the prototype’s functions, and to evaluate its performance in real-world driving conditions. The design, implementation, and empirical evaluation provided detailed technical insights into this important research and innovation area.This research was funded in part by the EU Horizon 2020 5G-PPP 5G-INDUCE project (“Open cooperative 5G experimentation platforms for the industrial sector NetApps”) under grant number H2020-ICT-2020-2/101016941, by the EU Horizon Europe INCODE project (“Programming platform for intelligent collaborative deployments over heterogeneous edge-IoT environments”) under grant number HORIZON-CL4-2022-DATA-01-03/101093069, and by the EU Horizon Europe project INCODE: programming platform for intelligent collaborative deployments over heterogeneous edge-IoT environments (HORIZON-CL4-2022-DATA-01-03/101093069)

Searching for specific binding sites of the secretory glycoproteins of the subcommissural organ

The molecular organization of Reissner's fiber (RF), the structure of its proteins, and the permanent turnover of these proteins are all facts supporting the possibility that RF may perform multiple functions. There is evidence that CSF-soluble RF-glycoproteins may occur under physiological conditions. The present investigation was designed to investigate the probable existence within the CNS of specific binding sites for RF-glycoproteins. Three experimental protocols were used: (1) immunocytochemistry of the CNS of bovine fetuses using anti-idiotypic antibodies, raised against monoclonal antibodies developed against bovine RF-glycoproteins; (2) in vivo binding of the RF glycoproteins, perfusing into the rat CSF 125I-labeled RF-glycoproteins, or grafting SCO into a lateral ventricle of the rat; (3) in vitro binding of unlabeled RF-glycoproteins to rat and bovine choroid plexuses maintained in culture. One of the anti-idiotypic antibody generated by a Mab raised against RF-glycoproteins binds to choroidal cells. Furthermore, binding of RF-glycoproteins to the rat choroid plexus was obtained when: (1) the choroid plexus was cultured in the presence of unlabeled RF-glycoproteins; (2) the concentration of soluble RF-glycoproteins in the CSF was increased by isografting SCOs into a lateral ventricle; (3) radiolabeled glycoproteins were perfused into the ventricular CSF. This evidence suggests that the apical plasma membrane of the ependymal cells of the choroid plexus has specific binding sites for RF-glycoproteins, of unknown functional significance. The radiolabeled RF-glycoproteins perfused into the rat CSF also bound to the paraventricular thalamic nucleus, the floor of the Sylvian aqueduct and of the rostral half of the fourth ventricle, and title meninges of the brain and spinal cord. The labeling of the paraventricular thalamic nucleus points to a functional relationship between this nucleus and the SCO. The possibility that; the SCO may be a component of the circadian timing system is discussed. Microsc. Res. Tech. 52:541-551, 2001. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Can the Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) Be Used as a Suicide Risk Scale? An Exploratory Study

The objective of this research was to examine whether the Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale, a life event scale, can be used to identify suicide attempters. The Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale\u27s ability to identify suicide attempters was tested in 1183 subjects (478 suicide attempters, 197 psychiatric inpatients, and 508 healthy controls) using the Fisher Linear Discriminant Analysis and traditional psychometric methods. The Fisher Linear Discriminant Analysis outperformed traditional psychometric approaches (area under the curve: 0.85 vs. 0.78; p \u3c 0.05) and indicated that this scale may be used to identify suicide attempters. The life events that better characterized suicide attempters were change in frequency of arguments, marital separation, and personal injury. The Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale may help identify suicide attempters

Pharmacokinetics in morbid obesity: influence of two bariatric surgery techniques on paracetamol and caffeine metabolism

The purpose of the study was to study the impact of the two most common bariatric surgery techniques on paracetamol pharmacokinetics (a marker of gastric emptying) and caffeine metabolism (a marker of liver function). In the present prospective study, we studied 24 morbid obese patients before, at 4 weeks, and 6 months after having undergone sleeve gastrectomy (n = 10) or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (n = 14). For comparative purposes, 28 healthy controls (14 normal weights and 14 overweights) were also included in the study. Paracetamol pharmacokinetics was altered in the obese participants leading to lower bioavailability. Bariatric surgery resulted in faster absorption and normalized pharmacokinetic parameters, prompting an increase in paracetamol bioavailability. No differences were found between surgical procedures. In the case of caffeine, the ratio paraxanthine/caffeine did not differ between morbid obese and healthy individuals. This ratio remained unmodified after surgery, indicating that the liver function (assessed by cytochrome P450 1A2 activity) was unaffected by obesity or bariatric surgery. Paracetamol pharmacokinetics and caffeine plasma levels are altered in severely obese patients. The two studied bariatric surgical techniques normalize paracetamol oral bioavailability without impairing the liver function (measured by cytochrome P450 1A2 activity).Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Tranexamic acid attenuates inflammatory response in cardiopulmonary bypass surgery through blockade of fibrinolysis: a case control study followed by a randomized double-blind controlled trial

INTRODUCTION: Extracorporeal circulation induces hemostatic alterations that lead to inflammatory response (IR) and postoperative bleeding. Tranexamic acid (TA) reduces fibrinolysis and blood loss after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). However, its effects on IR and vasoplegic shock (VS) are not well known and elucidating these effects was the main objective of this study. METHODS: A case control study was carried out to determine factors associated with IR after CPB. Patients undergoing elective CPB surgery were randomly assigned to receive 2 g of TA or placebo (0.9% saline) before and after intervention. We performed an intention-to-treat analysis, comparing the incidence of IR and VS. We also analyzed several biological parameters related to inflammation, coagulation, and fibrinolysis systems. We used SPSS version 12.2 for statistical purposes. RESULTS: In the case control study, 165 patients were studied, 20.6% fulfilled IR criteria, and the use of TA proved to be an independent protective variable (odds ratio 0.38, 95% confidence interval 0.18 to 0.81; P < 0.01). The clinical trial was interrupted. Fifty patients were randomly assigned to receive TA (24) or placebo (26). Incidence of IR was 17% in the TA group versus 42% in the placebo group (P = 0.047). In the TA group, we observed a significant reduction in the incidence of VS (P = 0.003), the use of norepinephrine (P = 0.029), and time on mechanical ventilation (P = 0.018). These patients showed significantly lower D-dimer, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, and creatine-kinase levels and a trend toward lower levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor and interleukin-6 within the first 24 hours after CPB. CONCLUSION: The use of TA attenuates the development of IR and VS after CPB. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN05718824

The Radial Distribution of Dust Particles in the HL Tau Disk from ALMA and VLA Observations

Understanding planet formation requires one to discern how dust grows in protoplanetary disks. An important parameter to measure in disks is the maximum dust grain size present. This is usually estimated through measurements of the dust opacity at different millimeter wavelengths assuming optically thin emission and dust opacity dominated by absorption. However, Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations have shown that these assumptions might not be correct in the case of protoplanetary disks, leading to overestimation of particle sizes and to underestimation of the disk\u27s mass. Here, we present an analysis of high-quality ALMA and Very Large Array images of the HL Tau protoplanetary disk, covering a wide range of wavelengths, from 0.8 mm to 1 cm, and with a physical resolution of ~7.35 au. We describe a procedure to analyze a set of millimeter images without any assumption about the optical depth of the emission, and including the effects of absorption and scattering in the dust opacity. This procedure allows us to obtain the dust temperature, the dust surface density, and the maximum particle size at each radius. In the HL Tau disk, we found that particles have already grown to a few millimeters in size. We detect differences in the dust properties between dark and bright rings, with dark rings containing low dust density and small dust particles. Different features in the HL Tau disk seem to have different origins. Planet–disk interactions can explain substructure in the external half of the disk, but the internal rings seem to be associated with the presence of snow lines of several molecules