Testicular histopathology in congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia: a light and electron microscopic study

During the 1980s, interest was shown in North America as to how Intensive Care Nurses use their work time, in response to a shortage of trained nurses. These studies were developed to investigate the amount of nursing time that could be saved by computerised recording systems. Similar pressures are now present in the United Kingdom, but there are no published work load studies of Intensive Care Nurses. This study used a five category tool to examine the work load of nurses in a cardiothoracic ICU. The methodology was designed so that comparison could be made with the earlier American studies. The 36 nurses studied spent 41% of their time in direct nursing care, 22% in patient assessment, 19% in clerical duties, 11% in time outside the unit and 7% in non-nursing duties. These findings were compared with the North American studies. Similarities were found which give some support to the reliability and validity of the tool.     

STM-induced light emission from thin films of perylene derivatives on the HOPG and Au substrates

We have investigated the emission properties of N,N'-diheptyl-3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic diimide thin films by the tunneling-electron-induced light emission technique. A fluorescence peak with vibronic progressions with large Stokes shifts was observed on both highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and Au substrates, indicating that the emission was derived from the isolated-molecule-like film condition with sufficient π-π interaction of the perylene rings of perylenetetracarboxylic diimide molecules. The upconversion emission mechanism of the tunneling-electron-induced emission was discussed in terms of inelastic tunneling including multiexcitation processes. The wavelength-selective enhanced emission due to a localized tip-induced surface plasmon on the Au substrate was also obtained.     

Fabrication of 3D-Printed Contact Lenses and Their Potential as Color Blindness Ocular Aids

Color blindness or color vision deficiency (CVD) is a congenital ocular deficiency that hampers patients’ daily life activities. CVD patients rely mostly on using wearable visual aids that enhance color distinction by blocking problematic wavelengths of light. Contributing to that, this study examines the fabrication of 3D-printed colored contact lens for color blindness management. A vat photopolymerization based 3D printing technology is utilized to fabricate the contact lenses for CVD patients. An in-house prepared resin is mixed with a low-cost colored ink to attain the desired blocking range (520–580 nm). The fabricated lens blocks more than 50% of light at the problematic wavelengths, along with exhibiting minimal leakage when stored and examined in water and contact lens storage solution. Average contact angle and water content values are 48° and 56%, respectively. Mechanical properties demonstrate the physical adequacy of the contact lens. The CVD filtering efficacy of the tinted contact lens and its potential as a CVD wearable is evaluated by comparing its optical performance with that of commercial products. Finally, cytotoxicity analysis of the lens to dermal fibroblast cells reveals the biocompatibility of the lens as the cell viability remains greater than 75% after 24 h.     

Relationship between vitamin D and gestational diabetes in overweight or obese pregnant women may be mediated by adiponectin

Scope

Maternal vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the association between vitamin D and inflammation, particularly adipokines, remains unexplored in pregnancy.

Methods and results

In 102 overweight or obese pregnant women at high‐risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), we investigated relationships between maternal 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations at 12–15 wk gestation (baseline) and serum lipids, inflammatory markers, novel adipokines (omentin‐1, visfatin, high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin), and subsequent pregnancy outcomes (GDM, preeclampsia, preterm birth [PTB]). After adjustment for maternal factors (age, BMI, parity, ethnicity, and smoking status), baseline 25(OH)D concentrations were inversely associated with total cholesterol and triglycerides, and positively associated with HMW‐adiponectin. Higher baseline 25(OH)D concentrations were associated with decreased fasting and 1‐h post‐OGTT glucose and reduced risk of GDM at 26–28 wk, as well as with longer gestation and reduced risk of PTB upon additional adjustment for caesarean section. Adding HMW‐adiponectin to the multivariable models attenuated most associations, and HMW‐adiponectin was a significant predictor in the models.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that lower maternal 25(OH)D concentrations in overweight/obese pregnant women at high‐risk of GDM are associated with increased cardiometabolic risks during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes, and that these associations may be mediated by HMW‐adiponectin.

     

Cranberry extract suppresses interleukin-8 secretion from stomach cells stimulated by Helicobacter pylori in every clinically separated strain but inhibits growth in part of the strains

It is known that cranberry inhibits the growth of Helicobacter pylori (HP). In human stomach, HP basically induces chronic inflammation by stimulating stomach cells to secrete interleukin (IL)-8 and other inflammatory cytokines, and causes stomach cancer, etc. The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibiting effects of cranberry on HP growth and IL-8 secretion from stomach cells induced by HP, using clinically separated HP strains. HP growth in liquid culture and on-plate culture was evaluated by titration after 2-day incubation and by agar dilution technique, respectively. For IL-8 experiments, MKN-45, a stomach cancer cell line, was incubated with HP for 24 h and IL-8 in the medium was assayed by ELISA. Cranberry suppressed growth of the bacteria only in six of the 27 strains. Meanwhile, it suppressed IL-8 secretion in all the strains. The results may suggest a possible role of cranberry in prevention of stomach cancer by reducing gastric inflammation.     

Investigations of urban surface conditions for urban canopy model

The authors carried out several investigations to clarify the features of urban surface conditions in the urban canopy Model (UCM). The authors first conducted field investigations regarding the solar reflectance of urban surfaces. First, the wall reflectance and the proportion of the glazing area were measured in several urban areas. The relationship between the solar reflectance of road and traffic density is clarified based on the outdoor measurement and the field survey. It is also presented that the reflectance of the building rooftop varies significantly depending on building use and the influence of machinery in the area of the HVAC.

The authors secondly investigated the height of released anthropogenic heat from the HVAC system based on a field survey and a database of HVAC systems provided by certain journals. From these investigations, it is presented that the type of HVAC system and the height of released anthropogenic heat vary with the building scale. Finally, an investigation of urban geometric figures was conducted using GIS data from Tokyo and Fukuoka in Japan. The vertical distribution features of both the roughness volume density and the building wall area density were classified according to the gross ratio of building volume.     

Analysis of the in-vessel phase of SAM strategy for a Korean 1000 MWe PWR

This study focuses on the in-vessel phase of severe accident management (SAM) strategy for a hypothetical 1000 MWe pressurized water reactor (PWR). To examine the effectiveness of SAM strategy, it is necessary to identify and assess epistemic and aleatory uncertainties. The selected scenario is a station blackout (SBO) and the corresponding SAM strategy is reactor coolant system (RCS) depressurization followed by water injection into the reactor pressure vessel (RPV). The analysis considers the depressurization timing and the flow rate and timing of in-vessel injection for scenario variations. For the phenomenological uncertainties, the core melting and relocation process is considered to be the most important phenomenon in the in-vessel phase of SAM strategy. Accordingly, sensitivity analyses are carried out to assess the impact of the cutoff porosity related to the flow area of core node (EPSCUT), the critical temperature (TCLMAX) and the minimum fraction of oxidized Zr (FZORUP) for cladding rupture, and the flag to divert gas flows in the core to the bypass channel (FGBYPA) on the core melting and relocation process. In this study, the effect of injection time on the integrity of RPV has been examined based on the quantification of the scenario and phenomenological uncertainties.     

The impact of cation distribution on the structural and magnetic properties of nonstoichiometric Co0.5Ni0.5+xFe2−xO4 nanoferrites

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - In this work, the impact of nonstoichiometric substitution of Fe3+ cations by Ni2+ ones on the structural and magnetic properties of...     

Liquid crystal behavior of cellulose nanoparticles-ethyl cellulose composites: Preparation,characterization, and rheology

This work deals with assessing the approach for preparation of cellulose nanoparticles (CNPs) to be acted as synergistic component in liquid crystal (LC) ethyl cellulose composite (EC-CNPs). In this respect different structures of CNPs were prepared by acid and salt agents. These prepared CNPs were characterized by carboxyl content, IR, transmission electron microscope (TEM), and zeta potential, while their composites with EC were characterized by rheological measurements as a key factor for measuring the critical concentration of LC behavior. The results showed that, the crystallinity of CNPs obtained by ammonium persulfate exceeded that prepared by sulfuric acid hydrolysis. TEM images of stained CNPs showed both methods led to produce nanoparticles have rod like shape with aspect ratio (L/W) between 7.69 ± 3 and 31.3 ± 5. For the rheological measurements, it demonstrated the efficient of incorporating the CNPs to EC (EC-CNPs composites) to decrease the critical concentration of EC from 40 wt% to approximately 34 wt%.     

Drusenoid Pigment Epithelial Detachment: Genetic and Clinical Characteristics

Few studies report drusenoid pigment epithelial detachment (DPED) in Asians. In this multicenter study, we report the clinical and genetic characteristics of 76 patients with DPED, and, for comparison, 861 patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) were included. On the initial presentation, the mean best-corrected visual acuity was 0.087 ± 0.17 (logMAR unit), and mean DPED height and width were 210 ± 132 and 1633 ± 1114 µm, respectively. Fifty-one (67%) patients showed macular neovascularization in the contralateral eye. The risk allele frequency of both ARMS2 A69S and CFH I62V was significantly higher in DPED than in typical AMD and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) (ARMS2 A69S risk allele frequency: DPED 77% vs. typical AMD 66% vs. PCV 57%, CFH I62V risk allele frequency: DPED 87% vs. typical AMD 73% vs. PCV 73%), although the risk allele frequency of both genes was similar between the DPED group and retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) group (ARMS2 A69S: p = 0.32, CFH I62V, p = 0.11). The prevalence of reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) was highest in RAP (60%), followed by DPED (22%), typical AMD (20%), and PCV (2%). Although the prevalence of RPD differs between DPED and RAP, these entities share a similar genetic background in terms of ARMS2 and CFH genes.