A sudden awakening from a near coma after combined intake of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and ethanol

OBJECTIVE: The excess of pediatric emergencies going to hospitals has been the subject of many studies in Spain and, on some occasions, this problem has attributed to the inefficiency of pediatric primary care. Our main objective was to evaluate whether or not our community health center is an efficient filter for hospital emergencies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective one year long study of all pediatric emergency demands within our normal office hours (workdays, from 08:00 to 21:00 hours). RESULTS: The total number of emergencies amounted to 1,294, with an average of 5.78 per day. The largest inflow occurred in September and the lowest in August. Most of the emergencies were between 16:00 and 19:00 hours. Fifty percent of the patients were under 4 years of age. We made 86 different diagnoses according to the WONCA classification. Only 10 diagnoses came with a frequency superior to 3%, and 60% of the emergencies were related to one of these 10 diagnoses. Of all pediatric emergencies, 94.7% were completely resolved by us. Only 60 patients (4.6%) were sent-on to hospital emergency services. Among these patients, 40 required traumatological or surgical attention, 5 ophthalmological care, 3 otorhinolaryngological care, and only 12 exclusively needed pediatric attention. In 55.7% of the cases there was no reason to use the emergency channel. CONCLUSIONS: During our office hours, our community health center is an efficient filter for hospital pediatric emergencies.     

Tumor-host interaction in non-random metastatic pattern distribution

In a prospective study, white and red blood cell counts, hematocrit, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), albumin, alpha-1 acid glycoprotein, C-reactive protein (CRP), and transthyretin (TTR) values were determined by serial measurements during 23 days in 80 patients with an open fracture of the lower limb. Postoperative reference profiles were defined in 74 patients without septic complications. In the six remaining patients, serum CRP and TTR concentrations were found efficient for the early diagnosis of postoperative infections: a CRP/TTR mass concentration ratio higher than 0.6 from the 8th day after surgery was sensitive (100%) and specific (93%). Variations of CRP and TTR concentrations often preceded the clinical diagnosis in patients with early infection. ESR was found unreliable with regard to postoperative infection because of its high dependence with respect to red blood cell count.     

Emissions of aldehydes and ketones from a two-stroke engine using ethanol and ethanol-blended gasoline as fuel

Besides aliphatic gasoline, ethanol-blended gasoline intended for use in small utility engines was recently introduced on the Swedish market. For small utility engines, little data is available showing the effects of these fuels on exhaust emissions, especially concerning aldehydes and ketones (carbonyls). The objective of the present investigation was to study carbonyl emissions and regulated emissions from a two-stroke chain saw engine using ethanol, gasoline, and ethanol-blended gasoline as fuel (0%, 15%, 50%, 85%, and 100% ethanol). The effects of the ethanol-blending level and mechanical changes of the relative air/fuel ratio, lambda, on exhaust emissions was investigated, both for aliphatic and regular gasoline. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and aromatic aldehydes were the most abundant carbonyls in the exhaust. Acetaldehyde dominated for all ethanol-blended fuels (1.2-12 g/kWh, depending on the fuel and lambda), and formaldehyde dominated for gasoline (0.74-2.3 g/kWh, depending on the type of gasoline and lambda). The main effects of ethanol blending were increased acetaldehyde emissions (30-44 times for pure ethanol), reduced emissions of all other carbonyls exceptformaldehyde and acrolein (which showed a more complex relation to the ethanol content), reduced carbon monoxide (CO) and ntirogen oxide (NO) emissions, and increased hydrocarbon (HC) and nitrogen dixodie (NO2) emissions. The main effects of increasing lambda were increased emissions of carbonyls and nitrogen oxides (NOx) and reduced CO and HC emissions. When the two types of gasoline are considered, benzaldehyde and tolualdehyde could be directly related to the gasoline content of aromatics or olefins, but also acrolein, propanal, crotonaldehyde, and methyl ethyl ketone mainly originated from aromatics or olefins, while the main source for formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, methacrolein, and butanal was saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons.     

Exploring the functionality of starches from corms and cormels of Xanthosoma sagittifolium

Xanthosoma sagittifolium, belonging to the araceas family, represents an attractive alternative as a starch source. Nevertheless, as a rhizome plant two differentiated parts could be distinguished named corms and cormels." by "However, the rhizome of Xanthosoma sagittifolium has two differentiate parts named corms and cormels of Xanthosoma. Granules morphology, composition, hydration properties, pasting/thermal behaviour, as well as gelling performance were assessed. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed different morphology, granules were organised as aggregates in starch isolated from corms. Corms starch displayed lower hydration properties, lower apparent viscosity during heating and cooling and higher gelatinisation temperatures than cormels starch. Gels from corms starch showed less syneresis than cormels starch, but no significant differences were observed regarding their hardness. Therefore, the part of the araceas plant from which the starch is extracted must be always defined, because significant differences in their functionality are ascribed to their morphological origin.     

Screening of Starch Quality Traits in Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is one of the most important sources of starch in the tropics. There is limited and contradictory information regarding cassava starch characteristics. The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) holds in trust FAO's cassava germplasm collection. Starches from 3272 landraces (including 12 wild relatives) and 772 improved clones were extracted and analyzed over a period of several years. In most cases only one starch sample per genotype was analyzed. Average cyanogenic potential was 327 ppm but considerably higher in the landraces (340 ppm) than in improved clones (267 ppm). Average total and reducing sugars were slightly higher in improved clones (4.06 and 1.56%, respectively) than in landraces (3.68 and 1.25%, respectively). Amylose content was similar in both types of germplasm with an average of 20.7%. Average pasting temperature was 65.3°C. Maximum viscosity was 777.5 mPa s, breakdown was 298.1 mPa s, consistency was 155.8 mPa s and setback was ‐144.5 mPa s. The large sample of starches analyzed provides very robust information regarding the actual characteristics of cassava starch.     

Visible-blindness in photoconductive and photovoltaic AlGaN ultraviolet detectors

The influence of the photodetection mechanism on the performance of AlGaN ultraviolet (UV) detectors is analyzed by studying the characteristics of photoconductors and photovoltaic Schottky diodes fabricated on the same samples. The photoconductive response below the bandgap is not a direct function of the absorption coefficient. Instead, it is amplified by the dominant photoconductive responsivity mechanism, which is attenuated as the chopping frequency increases. On the contrary, photovoltaic detectors are characterized by a sharp UV/visible contrast, mainly dependent on the absorption properties of the material. Thus, these detectors are more suitable for selective UV applications, such as ozone layer monitoring or flame detection.