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Acute Hemorrhagic Edema with extensive truck involvement and Rhinovirus infection association
No full textAbstractAcute Hemorrhagic Edema (AHE) is a rare form of leukocytoclastic vasculitis with an unknown etiology. There are various possible triggers associated with the development of AHE such as Upper Respiratory Tract related infections which have been reported in the literature. A typical case of AHE is a child less than 2years of age having the symptoms of fever, Acral Targetoid Purpura, and Edema. The course of this illness is benign with a complete resolution within few weeks. This case report involves a patient having the classical symptoms of fever, Purpura and Edema, but with an unusual extensive truncal involvement. Moreover, Rhinovirus infection testing was positive in the child’s case. The presence of the virus gives a suspicion of being the possible trigger for the boy’s AHE. In the previous hospital, the treatment started with steroid for a course of one week without a significant improvement which brought the patients to the Emergency department. A decision of continuing a supportive treatment led to a complete resolution. After 3weeks the AHE symptoms were gone without any complications
Green synthesis and anxiolytic activity of some new dibenz-[1,4] diazepine-1-one analogues
No full textAbstractA facile, green approach for the synthesis of some new dibenz[1,4]-diazepine-1-one by a three component reaction of Diamine, 1,3 diketone and aromatic aldehyde using oxalic acid as catalyst in water is described. The products are formed in good yields (92–94%). Newly synthesized dibenz [1,4]-diazepine-1-one analogues were evaluated for the anxiolytic activity by the elevated plus maze method. From the activity data it is observed that compounds, 4g, 4h and 4k show promising anxiolytic activity
Effect of a clean stove intervention on inflammatory biomarkers in pregnant women in Ibadan, Nigeria: A randomized controlled study
No full textAbstractBackgroundExposure to household air pollution (HAP) has been linked to systemic inflammation. We determined the impact of transition from traditional firewood/kerosene stove to bioethanol-burning stove on inflammatory biomarkers in pregnant Nigerian women.MethodsWomen (n=324), cooking with kerosene/firewood, were recruited during their first trimester of pregnancy from June 2013–October 2015 and were randomly allocated to either control (n=162) or intervention (n=162) group using web-based randomization. Controls continued to use their own firewood/kerosene stove, while intervention participants received bioethanol CleanCook stoves. Serum concentrations of retinol-binding protein (RBP), malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-8 were measured by ELISA.ResultsAfter excluding 53 women (loss of follow-up, untimely biomarker assessments, incorrect dates of enrollment), data from 271 women were included in analysis. Mean (SD) change in RBP, MDA, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8 between baseline and third trimester was −2.16 (4.47), −19.6 (46.4), 3.72 (37.2), 0.51 (14.4), and 13.2 (197), respectively, in intervention and −2.25 (4.30), −24.6 (43.6), 7.17 (32.6), −1.79, (11.4), and 31.3 (296) in control groups. None of these changes differed significantly between the two treatment arms. However, changes from baseline in TNF-α levels were significantly different between intervention and control groups in subset of women (n=99) using firewood before trial (−7.03 [32.9] vs. +12.4 [33.6]; 95% CI for group difference: −35.4 to −3.4, p=0.018).ConclusionsDecrease in TNF-α concentration from baseline to third trimesters in intervention group women could indicate reduced cardiovascular stress and prothrombotic effects from decreased HAP. Our findings suggest that ethanol-burning stoves may mitigate cardiovascular health risks
Menopause as a potential cause for higher prevalence of low back pain in women than in age-matched men
No full textSummaryFemale sex hormones play an important role in the aetiology and pathophysiology of a variety of musculoskeletal degenerative diseases. Postmenopausal women show accelerated disc degeneration due to relative oestrogen deficiency, resulting in narrower intervertebral disc space in women than age-matched men, increased prevalence of spondylolisthesis, and increased prevalence of facet joint osteoarthritis. Postmenopausal women also show higher osteoporosis related spine fracture rate, particularly at the thoracic–lumbar junction site. I propose the concept that low back pain (LBP) is more prevalent in postmenopausal women than age-matched men and is associated with the physiological changes caused by the relatively lower level of sex hormones after menopause in women. Considering hormone replacement treatment (HRT)'s consistent efficacy reported with menopause-associated osteoarthritis, an in-depth understanding of the role of the gonadal hormones in LBP modulation warrants further study. HRT initiated at early postmenopausal phase may be protective for recurring LBP. If this is the case, further cost–benefit analysis should be performed for optimal HRT regimen in cases of women with high risk of recurring severe LBP
Noble gases, nitrogen and cosmic ray exposure age of the Sulagiri chondrite
No full textAbstractThe Sulagiri meteorite fell in India on 12 September 2008, LL6 chondrite class is the largest among all the Indian meteorites. Isotopic compositions of noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe) and nitrogen in the Sulagiri meteorite and cosmic ray exposure history are discussed. Low cosmogenic (22Ne/21Ne)c ratio is consistent with irradiation in a large body. Cosmogenic noble gases indicate that Sulagiri has a 4π cosmic-ray exposure (CRE) age of 27.9 ± 3.4 Ma and is a member of the peak of CRE age distribution of LL chondrites. Radiogenic 4He and 40Ar concentrations in Sulagiri yields the radiogenic ages as 2.29 and 4.56 Ga, indicating the loss of He from the meteorite. Xenon and krypton are mixture of Q and spallogenic components
HERITAGE: the concept of a giant flux neutron reflectometer for the exploration of 3-d structure of free-liquid and solid interfaces in thin films
No full textAbstractThe instrumental concept of HERITAGE – a reflectometer with a horizontal sample geometry – well fitted to the long pulse structure of a neutron source is presented. It is constitutes a new class of reflectometers achieving the unprecedentedly high flux for classical specular reflectometry combined with off-specular reflectometry and grazing incidence small-angle scattering (GISANS), thus resulting in a complete 3-d exploration of lateral and in depth structures in thin films. This is achieved by specially designed neutron guides. In the horizontal direction (perpendicular to the scattering plane) the guide's elliptic shape focusses the neutrons onto the sample. In the vertical direction a multichannel geometry provides a smooth divergence distribution at the sample position while accepting the entire beam from a compact high-brilliance flat moderator.The modular collimation setup of HERITAGE provides extremely high flexibility in respect to sample geometries and environments, including the possibility to study virtually all types of solid and liquid interfaces, statically or kinetically. The use of multiple beam illumination allows for reflectivity and GISANS measurements at liquid interfaces both from above and below without a need to move the sample.This concept assures the delivery of the maximum possible and usable flux to the sample in both reflectivity and GISANS measurement regimes. The presented design outperforms the flux of all present-day and already for the ESS planned reflectometers and GISANS setups in flux and in measuring time for standard samples
Plot size can influence yield benefits from fungicides on corn
No full textAbstractUse of foliar fungicides on corn has increased over the last decade. Part of the reason for this increase is due to physiological benefits on plants from QoI (strobilurin) containing fungicides. However, there remains controversy over how significant yield and economic benefits are from strobilurin fungicides. A potential source of this controversy might be explained by experimental plot size. To better understand grower-relevant yield benefits from fungicides, three hundred and fourteen commercial-strip trials (8.1 ha fungicide treated and 8.1 ha untreated) were conducted on growers' farms across four years, and twenty-five small plot (37.2 m2 or less) trials were conducted across the corn belt in 2010. Yield benefits from fungicides were much greater in the commercial-strip trials than in the small plot trials. In 2011, twenty-six large plot trials (ranging from 557 to 1394 m2), were established with efforts made to reduce border and alley effects. Two corn hybrids were evaluated at each of the 26 trial locations, and the results indicated that corn yield benefits from Quadris® fungicide (a solo formulation containing 22.9% azoxystrobin) applied at the V4-V8 growth stage, Quilt Xcel® fungicide (a premix formulation containing 13.5% azoxystrobin and 11.7% propiconazole) applied at the R1 growth stage, or a combination of the two, provided yield benefits similar to those from the commercial-strip trials. The financial gain/loss from the use of fungicides was determined. Using the highest cost estimates for fungicide and applications, Quilt Xcel fungicide applied at the R1 growth stage provided estimated yield benefits of 219, 278/ha (65, 89/A) over the untreated checks in the commercial-strip trials conducted in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013, respectively. The average economic benefit to growers over the four year period was 62 ± $15/A). Variability in economic benefit not only includes costs associated with fungicides but also includes annual commodity price, disease pressure, and location effects. This study supports the hypothesis that plot size influences assessment of yield effects of fungicides. Yield responses from the small plot, large plot, and commercial-strip trials resulted in increases of 378 kg/Ha (6 Bu/A), 701 kg/Ha (11 Bu/A), and 1132 kg/Ha (18 Bu/A) over the untreated, respectively
Assessment tools for personalizing training intensity during cardiac rehabilitation: Literature review and practical proposals
No full textAbstractExercise training, associated with therapeutic education, is the main axis of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs. The aim of this study was to review the literature for descriptions of the various assessments of exercise tolerance used to prescribe exercise intensity during CR. A secondary objective was to attempt to formulate a rational practice with these assessments in CR programs
Sustainability constraints in determining European bioenergy potential: A review of existing studies and steps forward
No full textAbstractThis paper reviews European land and bioenergy potential studies to 1) identify shortcomings related to how they account for agricultural intensification and its associated environmental effects, and sustainability constraints, and 2) provide suggestions on how these shortcomings can be improved in future assessments. The key shortcomings are:The environmental impacts of intensification are nearly always ignored in the reviewed studies, while these impacts should be accounted for if intensification is required to make land available for energy cropping.Future productivity developments of crops and livestock, and the associated land-use and environmental effects are currently limited to conventional intensification measures whereby the proportion between inputs and outputs is fixed. Sustainable intensification measures, which increase land productivity with similar or lower inputs, are ignored in the reviewed studies.Livestock productivity developments, livestock specific intensification measures and their environmental effects are poorly or not at all covered in the reviewed studies.Most studies neglect sustainability constraints other than GHG emissions in the selection of energy crops. This includes limitations to rainfed energy crop cultivation, a minimum number of crop species, the structural diversity within cropping areas and the integration of energy crops in existing or new crop rotations, while simultaneously considering the effects on subsequent crops.These shortcomings suggest that the identification of sustainable pathways for European bioenergy production requires a more integrative approach combining land demand for food, feed and energy crop production, including different intensification pathways, and the consequent direct and indirect environmental impacts. A better inclusion of management practices into such approach will improve the assessment of intensification, its environmental consequences and the sustainable bioenergy potential from agricultural feedstocks
Introducing a localised spatio-temporal LCI method with wheat production as exploratory case study
No full textAbstractThe use of dynamical information, which is temporally and spatially explicit, to quantify environmental impacts is gaining importance in recent years. Life Cycle Assessment has been applied to identify environmental impacts of, for example, wheat production. However, conventional Life Cycle Assessment is typically limited by its static nature and cannot explicitly consider temporal and spatial variability in its matrix-based mathematical structure. To address this limitation, a novel dynamical Life Cycle Assessment framework that applies spatio-temporal mathematical models in Life Cycle Inventory is introduced. This framework employs the existing Enhanced Structural Path Analysis (ESPA) method paired with a spatial dispersion model to determine the localised emissions over time within the Life Cycle Inventory. The spatially explicit calculations consider emissions to the surrounding area of an origin. A case study was undertaken to demonstrate the developed framework using the production of wheat at the Helford area in Cornwall, UK. Results show the spatio-temporal dispersion for four example emissions atmosphere, soil, flowing and groundwater. These outcomes show that it is possible to implement both spatial and temporal information in matrix-based LCI. We believe this framework could potentially transform the way LCA is currently performed, i.e., in a static and spatially-generic way and will offer significantly improved understanding of life cycle environmental impacts and better inform management of processes such as agricultural production that have high spatial and temporal heterogeneity