A data mining approach to classify serum creatinine values in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Wireless Networks - Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is a treatment used by patients in the end-stage of chronic kidney diseases. Those patients need to be monitored using blood...     

VWF,Platelets and the Antiphospholipid Syndrome

The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is characterized by thrombosis and/or pregnancy morbidity with the persistent presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs). Laboratory criteria for the classification of APS include the detection of lupus anticoagulant (LAC), anti-cardiolipin (aCL) antibodies and anti-β2glycoprotein I (aβ2GPI) antibodies. Clinical criteria for the classification of thrombotic APS include venous and arterial thrombosis, along with microvascular thrombosis. Several aPLs, including LAC, aβ2GPI and anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin antibodies (aPS/PT) have been associated with arterial thrombosis. The Von Willebrand Factor (VWF) plays an important role in arterial thrombosis by mediating platelet adhesion and aggregation. Studies have shown that aPLs antibodies present in APS patients are able to increase the risk of arterial thrombosis by upregulating the plasma levels of active VWF and by promoting platelet activation. Inflammatory reactions induced by APS may also provide a suitable condition for arterial thrombosis, mostly ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction. The presence of other cardiovascular risk factors can enhance the effect of aPLs and increase the risk for thrombosis even more. These factors should therefore be taken into account when investigating APS-related arterial thrombosis. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism by which aPLs can cause thrombosis remains to be elucidated.     

A clustering-based review on project portfolio optimization methods

Project portfolio management and optimization constitutes a critical activity for organizations in different industrial sectors and business. The scientific literature in this subject is extremely vast, which makes it difficult to understand the connections among the existing approaches and perspectives. This paper provides a clustering map of the existing work on the subject, thus identifying the main trends and approaches from different scientific communities. After analyzing each of the identified clusters, the paper provides insights and emerging trends that can be useful both for researchers and practitioners in the area.     

Crystallization of Stoichiometric SbSI Glass

Congruent crystallization of antimony sulphoiodide (SbSI) glass of stoichiometric composition, which is prepared successfully for the first time using rapid melt‐quenching, has been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results for glass powder show a glass transition at 127°C and two separate exothermal peaks with maxima around 140°C and 190°C. The ratio of the intensities of the exothermal peak at ~190°C to the peak at ~140°C increases as the particle size and heating rate are increased, but their total enthalpy remains constant at 62 ± 2 J/g for all DSC runs. Surface heating of the glass induced by a 520 nm CW laser shows two contracted regions: needle‐like crystalline formations at low temperature and bulk crystallization at high temperature. The observed phenomena and DSC results suggest two different kinds of crystallization of the SbSI phase: one‐dimensional crystallization at low temperature which starts from the sample surface and three‐dimensional bulk crystallization that continues the transformation to crystalline state at higher temperatures. The origin of the two different crystallizations can be traced to the strong anisotropy of the SbSI crystal structure due to the weak van der Waals interaction between covalent‐ionic chains (Sb₂S₂I₂)_n.     

High‐Pressure High‐Temperature Transparent Fixed‐Bed Reactor for Operando Gas‐Liquid Reaction Follow‐up

A 3‐MPa, 350 °C fixed‐bed reactor was designed to follow‐up gas‐liquid‐solid reactions on a millimetric size heterogeneous catalyst with Raman spectroscopy. The transparent reactor is a quartz cylinder enclosed in a Joule effect heated stainless‐steel tube. A methodology to determine how to focus the microscope for liquid and solid phase characterization is presented. The setup was validated by performing diesel hydrodesulfurization on a CoMo/alumina extrudate catalyst with a conversion very close to expected values along with the acquisition of Raman spectra of the solid catalyst showing an evolution of the catalyst phase during sulfidation.     

Carotenoids are Effective Inhibitors of in vitro Hemolysis of Human Erythrocytes,as Determined by a Practical and Optimized Cellular Antioxidant Assay

β‐Carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, β‐cryptoxanthin, and lycopene are liposoluble pigments widely distributed in vegetables and fruits and, after ingestion, these compounds are usually detected in human blood plasma. In this study, we evaluated their potential to inhibit hemolysis of human erythrocytes, as mediated by the toxicity of peroxyl radicals (ROO?). Thus, 2,2′‐azobis (2‐methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH) was used as ROO? generator and the hemolysis assay was carried out in experimental conditions optimized by response surface methodology, and successfully adapted to microplate assay. The optimized conditions were verified at 30 × 10⁶ cells/mL, 17 mM of AAPH for 3 h, at which 48 ± 5% of hemolysis was achieved in freshly isolated erythrocytes. Among the tested carotenoids, lycopene (IC₅₀ = 0.24 ± 0.05 μM) was the most efficient to prevent the hemolysis, followed by β‐carotene (0.32 ± 0.02 μM), lutein (0.38 ± 0.02 μM), and zeaxanthin (0.43 ± 0.02 μM). These carotenoids were at least 5 times more effective than quercetin, trolox, and ascorbic acid (positive controls). β‐Cryptoxanthin did not present any erythroprotective effect, but rather induced a hemolytic effect at the highest tested concentration (3 μM). These results suggest that selected carotenoids may have potential to act as important erythroprotective agents by preventing ROO?‐induced toxicity in human erythrocytes.