High-Quality Flat-Top Micromachining of Silica by a CW CO2 Laser

This letter demonstrates a simple and fast technique that dramatically improves the micromachined surface quality of silica substrates processed by a continuous-wave CO₂ laser. When sufficient laser power is directed at the surface of a sample, its temperature increases beyond the boiling point. Melted material is ejected and a groove is created. Some of the ablated material redeposits on each side of the groove, altering the surface quality of the substrate. To circumvent this problem, we deposit a polymer overlay as a sacrificial film which protects the surface during the ablation process, resulting in a flat surface on either side of the groove at very high writing speeds. The grooves can be used as an aid to passive alignment for an optical fiber, as diffractive optical elements or to create high-quality microfluidic chips     

Permeation through a bed on a vibrating medium: theory and experimental results

A dead-end filtration set-up with a vertically vibrated medium is used to study cake permeation. A key feature of these experiments is that a sudden increase in permeability at a certain critical vibration amplitude takes place, when the static loading is light. A theory to explain this phenomenon is put forward in terms of a relation to local fluidization near the medium, thus returning the clogged septum resistance to virtually its unclogged value. The fluidization is due to a particle stress induced by the vibration of the particle fluid mixture near the medium. This stress can be large enough to counteract the compressive stress that is caused by gravity and drag due to the fluid flow in the set-up.Estimates for the particle stresses are obtained; these are proportional to the amplitude decay inverse length λ. The latter is derived from the analysis of a vibrated particle-fluid mixture that is in a state of fluidization. It is argued that only in this state will the value of λ be large enough to generate the required particle stress. A much smaller value for λ is obtained when the particles in the medium make enduring contacts.The theory predicts a frequency dependence for the turnover point in the permeability according to the root of the applied frequency. This theoretical result is confirmed by the experiments. The theory also predicts that when the decay is too steep, so that the vibration amplitude vanishes at a distance of less than a particle diameter, no fluidization will occur. This is found to be true for larger cake masses.     

Evolution of connected health: a network perspective

In this study, the evolution of the connected health concept is analysed and visualized to investigate the ever-tightening relationship between health and technology as well as emerging possibilities regarding delivery of healthcare services. A scientometric analysis was undertaken to investigate the trends and evolutionary relations between health and information systems through the queries in the Web of Science database using terms related to health and information systems. To understand the evolutionary relation between different concepts, scientometric analyses were conducted within five-year intervals using the VantagePoint, SciMAT, and CiteSpace II software. Consequently, the main stream of publications related to the connected health concept matching telemedicine cluster was determined. All other developments in health and technologies were discussed around this main stream across years. The trends obtained through the analysis provide insights about the future of healthcare and technology relationship particularly with rising importance of privacy, personalized care along with mobile networks and mobile infrastructure.     

Methemoglobinemia induced by methylene blue pertubation during laparoscopy

Methylene blue is used to check tubal patency during laparoscopy. A case of methemoglobinemia which was induced by methylene blue is presented. Methemoglobinemia is usually treated with methylene blue; however, in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, methylene blue can induce methemoglobinemia.     

Modified adjustable technique to anchor the levator muscle to the flap used in total upper eyelid reconstruction

Lipomatous pseudohypertrophy of the pancreas was found at autopsy in a 52-year-old Japanese woman with cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis B. Clinically, there were no clear symptoms of pancreatic insufficiency during the entire course. Marked atrophy and fat deposition of the pancreas had already been detected by computed tomography (CT) at least 6 years before her death. She died of hepatic failure due to decompensated cirrhosis. Autopsy revealed uniform enlargement of the pancreas due to massive fat replacement (lipomatous pseudohypertrophy): the exocrine glandular elements showed marked atrophy and loss, while the islets of Langerhans were preserved. Although the etiology and pathogenesis of lipomatous pseudohypertrophy is still unclear, this case suggests that this condition is causally related to chronic hepatitis B or other chronic advanced hepatic lesions.     

Leiomyosarcoma of the auricle: case report and literature review

We present a case of a patient with achalasia who developed symptomatic gastroparesis after botulinum toxin injection therapy. Symptoms responded to prokinetics. Pathophysiology of gastric motility disturbances in patients with achalasia is discussed.     

Partial necrosis of an amputated penis following replantation in a heavy smoker: a case report

During a 6-year period, 312 boys (mean age 4.7 years) underwent orchidopexy for cryptorchidism. A total of 388 epididymides were examined and the configurations were recorded as a prospective trial. This study consists of 166 ectopic testes and 222 undescended testes. The observed configurations of epididymides in the ectopic testes were: type 1a in 99 cases (59.6%), type 1b in 35 (21.1%), type 2 in 24 (14.5%), type 3 in 7 (4.2%), and type 4 in 1 (0.6%). There were no patients in the study with type 5 and 6 anomalies. The configurations of epididymides in the undescended testes were: type 1a in 105 (47.3%), type 1b in 63 (28.4%), type 2 in 26 (11.7%), type 3 in 13 (5.9%), type 4 in 5 (2.3%), type 5 in 7 (3.2%), and type 6 in 3 (1.4%). The data revealed that the incidence of epididymal abnormalities in undescended testes (41%) was higher than that in the ectopic testes (25.9%) (P < 0.05).     

Comparison of antioxidant capacity of cow and ewe milk kefirs

This research aimed to evaluate the effects of using either grain or commercial starter culture on the antioxidative capacity of cow and ewe milk kefirs. The antioxidant capacity of kefir samples during fermentation and 21 d of storage was assessed by using 3 assays: 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation decolorization; 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH^?) radical scavenging activity assay; and Fe⁺³-reducing power (ferric reducing antioxidant power assay, FRAP). Vitamin E and β-carotene contents were also quantified. All kefir samples exhibited varying values for DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays depending on the starter culture and milk type. Vitamin E and β-carotene contents were similar in all kefir samples during storage. The results of this study suggest that milk type (cow or ewe) and culture type (kefir grains or commercial starter) were the significant parameters for the antioxidative activity of kefir.     

Serum antibodies to Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis in juvenile periodontitis and adult periodontitis (part I)

Recent microbiological studies support the concept that specific gram negative bacteria play a major role in the etiology and pathogenesis of human chronic inflammatory periodontal disease. Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans has been isolated frequently from juvenile periodontitis and Porphyromonas gingivalis has been shown to be a prominent species in adult periodontitis in humans. The purpose of this study was to determine levels of the specific antibodies to A.actinomycetemcomitans and P.gingivalis in 17 patients with juvenile and 15 patients with adult periodontitis and 24 healthy subjects. IgG and IgM antibody titers against these antigens were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The levels of antibodies against A.actinomycetemcomitans were significantly higher in the juvenile periodontitis compared to the adult periodontitis patients and controls. Anti-P.gingivalis antibodies were elevated in adult periodontitis compared to juvenile periodontitis patients and controls.