Influence of external factors on dielectric permittivity of Rochelle salt: humidity, annealing, stresses, electric field

The present work contains results of experimental investigation of external factors, such as dessicating/wetting, thermal annealing, uniaxial and hydrostatic pressures on dielectric permittivity of Rochelle salt crystals. The obtained results are compared with available literature data. A conslusion is made that the dispersion of experimental data can be attributed to internal polar point defects in crystals and to influence of storage conditions. The obtained results are analyzed within the phenomenological Landau approach

ВИКОРИСТАННЯ РОСЛИННОЇ СИРОВИНИ В ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ СИРКОВИХ МАС

It was established, that the everyday rations of the Ukraine population deficient by the content of almost all nutrients, including alimentary fiber by 30 %, vitamins by 30-55 %. In this connection, creating a wide assortment of functional foods for the correction of population rations nutrition is actual task of the various sectors of the food industry. In the production of dairy products it is possible to introduction various biological additives and therefore the correction of their composition and nutritional value accordance with requirements of norms of the theory of adequate nutrition. Important role for human health played consumption of vegetables, fruits, berries and products manufactured from vegetable raw material. Interesting is the development of technology of products based on milk and vegetable raw materials, because vegetable raw materials allows natural dairy products to enrich with vitamins, pectins, minerals and natural coloring substances.  Установлено, что ежедневные рационы населения Украины дефицитные по содержанию практически всех пищевых веществ, в частности, пищевых волокон на 30 %, витаминов на 30-55 %.В связи с этим создание широкого ассортимента функциональных продуктов для коррекции рационов питания населения является актуальной задачей различных отраслей пищевой промышленности. При производстве молочных продуктов возможно введение различных биологических добавок и таким образом коррекция их состава и пищевой ценности в соответствии с требованиями норм теории адекватного питания.Важную роль для здоровья человека играет употребление овощей, фруктов, ягод, а также продукции, изготовленной на основе растительного сырья.Интересным является разработка технологии продуктов на основе молочно-овощного сырья, поскольку растительное сырье позволяет обогатить молочные продукты натуральными витаминами, пектинами, минеральными веществами, а также природными красящими веществами.Встановлено, що щоденні раціони населення України дефіцитні за вмістом практично всіх харчових речовин, зокрема, харчових волокон на 30 %, вітамінів на 30-55 %. У зв'язку з цим створення широкого асортименту функціональних продуктів для корекції раціонів харчування населення є актуальним завданням  різних галузей харчової промисловості. При виробництві молочних продуктів можливим є введення різноманітних біологічних добавок і таким чином корекція  їх складу і харчової цінності відповідно до вимог норм теорії адекватного харчування. Важливу роль для здоров´я людини відіграє вживання овочів, фруктів, ягід, а також продукції, виготовленої на основі рослинної сировини. Цікавим є розроблення технології продуктів на основі молочно-овочевої сировини, оскільки рослинна сировина дозволяє збагатити молочні продукти натуральними вітамінами, пектинами, мінеральними речовинами, а також природними фарбуючими речовинами. &nbsp

Intershock observations during STIP intervals 17 and 18

The Prognoz-10/Intercosmos satellite (Intershock Project) carried out observations from Earth orbit from 26 April 1985 until 11 November 1985, covering STIP Intervals XVII and XVIII. Data obtained during the systematic measurements in the course of STIP Interval XVII and part of XVIII are presented; i.e., hourly averages of the solar wind velocity, temperature and ion concentration, ion flux changes (10 to the -1 to 10 to the -3 Hz), plasma wave parameters, energetic particles flux, magnetic fields, etc. Special attention is paid to solar wind distrubances causing abrupt and large effects on the shape of the bow shock (i.e., on 2 May 1985 and 14 September 1985). Generally, the observation period was very close to a minimum of solar activity and was quiet without significant interplanetary shocks

Interobserver agreement for single operator choledochoscopy imaging: can we do better?

Background. The SpyGlass Direct Visualization System (Boston Scientific, Natick, MA) is routinely used during single operator choledochoscopy (SOC) to identify biliary lesions or strictures with a diagnostic accuracy up to 88%. The objective of this study was to determine the interobserver agreement (IOA) of modified scoring criteria for diagnosing biliary lesions/strictures. Methods. 27 SPY SOC video clips were reviewed and scored by 9 interventional endoscopists based on published criteria that included the presence and severity of surface structure, vasculature visualization, lesions, and findings. Results. Overall IOA was slight for all variables. The K statistics are as follows: surface (K = 0.12, SE = 0.02); vessels (K = 0.14, SE = 0.02); lesions (K = 0.11, SE = 0.02); findings (K = 0.08, SE = 0.03); and final diagnosis (K = 0.08, SE = 0.02). The IOA for findings and final diagnosis was also only slight. The final diagnosis was malignant (11), benign (11), and indeterminate (5). Conclusion. IOA using the modified criteria of SOC images was slight to almost poor. The average accuracy was less than 50%. These findings reaffirm that imaging criteria for benign and malignant biliary pathology need to be formally established and validated

Use and perceived effectiveness of non-analgesic medical therapies for chronic pancreatitis in the United States

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011; 33: 149–159Effectiveness of medical therapies in chronic pancreatitis has been described in small studies of selected patients.To describe frequency and perceived effectiveness of non-analgesic medical therapies in chronic pancreatitis patients evaluated at US referral centres.Using data on 516 chronic pancreatitis patients enrolled prospectively in the NAPS2 Study, we evaluated how often medical therapies [pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), vitamins/antioxidants (AO), octreotide, coeliac plexus block (CPB)] were utilized and considered useful by physicians.Oral PERT was commonly used (70%), more frequently in the presence of exocrine insufficiency (EI) (88% vs. 61%, P  < 0.001) and pain (74% vs. 59%, P  < 0.002). On multivariable analyses, predictors of PERT usage were EI (OR 5.14, 95% CI 2.87–9.18), constant (OR 3.42, 95% CI 1.93–6.04) or intermittent pain (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.14–3.45). Efficacy of PERT was predicted only by EI (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.36–3.42). AO were tried less often (14%) and were more effective in idiopathic and obstructive vs. alcoholic chronic pancreatitis (25% vs. 4%, P  = 0.03). Other therapies were infrequently used (CPB – 5%, octreotide – 7%) with efficacy generally <50%.Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy is commonly utilized, but is considered useful in only subsets of chronic pancreatitis patients. Other medical therapies are used infrequently and have limited efficacy.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79114/1/j.1365-2036.2010.04491.x.pd

The unmasking of Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia during reversal of immunosuppression: Case reports and literature review

Background: Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP) is an important opportunistic infection among immunosuppressed patients, especially in those infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The clinical presentation of PCP in immunosuppressed patients have been well-reported in the literature. However, the clinical importance of PCP manifesting in the setting of an immunorestitution disease (IRD), defined as an acute symptomatic or paradoxical deterioration of a (presumably) preexisting infection, which is temporally related to the recovery of the immune system and is due to immunopathological damage associated with the reversal of immunosuppressive processes, has received relatively little attention until recently. Case presentation: We aim to better define this unique clinical syndrome by reporting two cases of PCP manifesting acutely with respiratory failure during reversal of immunosuppression in non-HIV infected patients, and reviewed the relevant literature. We searched our databases for PCP cases manifesting in the context of IRD according to our predefined case definition, and reviewed the case notes retrospectively. A comprehensive search was performed using the Medline database of the National Library of Medicine for similar cases reported previously in the English literature in October 2003. A total of 28 non-HIV (excluding our present case) and 13 HIV-positive patients with PCP manifesting as immunorestitution disease (IRD) have been reported previously in the literature. During immunorestitution, a consistent rise in the median CD4 lymphocyte count (28/μL to 125/μL), with a concomitant fall in the median HIV viral load (5.5 log10 copies/ml to 3.1 log10 copies/ml) was observed in HIV-positive patients who developed PCP. A similar upsurge in peripheral lymphocyte count was observed in our patients preceding the development of PCP, as well as in other non-HIV immunosuppressed patients reported in the literature. Conclusions: PCP manifesting as IRD may be more common than is generally appreciated. Serial monitoring of total lymphocyte or CD4 count could serve as a useful adjunct to facilitate the early diagnosis and pre-emptive treatment of this condition in a wide range of immunosuppressed hosts, especially in the presence of new pulmonary symptoms and/or radiographic abnormalities compatible with the diagnosis. © 2004 Wu et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.published_or_final_versio