Search

Background Shock is common in intensive care units, and treatment includes fluids, vasopressor and/or inotropic drugs, guided by hemodynamic monitoring. The aim of this study was to identify current practice for treatment of shock in Scandinavian intensive care units. Methods Seven-day inception cohort study in 43 intensive care units in Scandinavia. Patients ≥ 15 years old receiving more than 4 h of cardiovascular acting drug infusion were included. The use of fluids, vasopressor and inotropic drugs, type of monitoring, and target values were recorded. Results One hundred and seventy-one patients were included. At inclusion, 136/168 (81%) had received vasopressor and/or inotropic drug therapy for less than 24 h, and 143/171 (84%) had received volume loading before the onset of vasoactive drug treatment. Ringer's solution was given to 129/143 (90%) of patients and starches in 3/143 (2%) patients. Noradrenaline was the most commonly used cardiovascular acting drug, given in 168/171 (98%) of cases while dopamine was rarely used. Mean arterial pressure was considered the most important variable for hemodynamic monitoring. Invasive arterial blood pressure was monitored in 166/171 (97%) of patients, arterial pulse wave analysis in 11/171 (7%), and echocardiography in 50/171 (29%). Conclusion In this survey, Ringer's solution and noradrenaline were the most common first-line treatments in shock. The use of starches and dopamine were rare. Almost all patients were monitored with invasive arterial blood pressure, but comprehensive hemodynamic monitoring was used only in a minority of patients. more...

Apple cubes were osmotically dehydrated at 25, 40 and 60C, using sucrose or sorbitol, and the mass ratio of sample to solution of 1: 4 and 1: 10, at atmospheric pressure or vacuum pressure of 150 mbar. Six mathematical models were tested to describe the mass transfer kinetics of water loss (WL) and sugar gain (SG). Crank's, Azuara's, Peleg's, Page's and Weibull's models could fit well the experimental data, but the Penetration model resulted in a poor fit. The mass ratio of sample to solution did not have an influence on the mass transfer kinetics at the atmospheric pressure. The increase of temperature and the use of sorbitol as the osmotic agent resulted in an increase of the osmotic process rate at both pressures used. Therefore, sorbitol is a good alternative to sucrose. The vacuum presented a tendency to increase the initial rate of WL. more...

Blackleg fungi [Leptosphaeria maculans (asexual stage Phoma lingam) and Leptosphaeria biglobosa] are devastating plant pathogens with well-established stratagems to invade crucifers, including the production of enzymes that detoxify plant defenses such as phytoalexins. The significant roles of brassinin, both as a potent crucifer phytoalexin and a biosynthetic precursor of several other plant defenses, make it critical to plant fitness. Brassinin oxidase, a detoxifying enzyme produced by L. maculans both in vitro and in planta, catalyzes the detoxification of brassinin by the unusual oxidative transformation of a dithiocarbamate to an aldehyde. Purified brassinin oxidase has an apparent molecular mass of 57 kDa, is approximately 20% glycosylated, and accepts a wide range of cofactors, including quinones and flavins. Purified brassinin oxidase was used to screen a library of brassinin analogues and crucifer phytoalexins for potential inhibitory activity. Unexpectedly, it was determined that the crucifer phytoalexins camalexin and cyclobrassinin are competitive inhibitors of brassinin oxidase. This discovery suggests that camalexin could protect crucifers from attacks by L. maculans because camalexin is not metabolized by this pathogen and is a strong mycelial growth inhibitor. more...

This article describes the characterization of intense photoluminescence observed at room temperature of the Li2ZnTi3O8 spinel phase, obtained by the polymeric precursor method. The evolution of visible photoluminescence is demonstrated by measurement of the photoluminescence signal as a function of the annealing treatment time. The evolution indicates that PL can be attributed to the presence of an inorganic disordered phase. In addition, increased annealing treatment times cause not only a decrease in the total residual content of organic material in the samples, but also an intensified photoluminescence. We discuss the nature of visible photoluminescence at room temperature of the Li2ZnTi3O8 spinel phase in the light of results of both recent experimental and quantum mechanical theoretical studies. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005 more...

A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study investigated the effectiveness of four drugs in the treatment of severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS). 120 women presenting to Sao Paulo (Brazil) University Medical Center with severe PMS were enrolled and underwent 3 months of placebo treatment followed by 3 months of one of the following drug regimens: 1) 300 mg/day of pyridoxine 2) 0.75 mg/day of alprazolam 3) 10 mg/day of fluoxetine or 4) 20 mg/day (40 mg during menstruation) of propanolol. Mean symptom reduction rates were 65.4% for fluoxetine 58.7% for propanolol 55.6% for alprazolam 45.3% for pyridoxine and 39.4-46.1% for placebo. In terms of specific PMS symptoms fluoxetine was most effective in treating social isolation (76.1% remission) confusion (71.4%) crying (72.4%) depression (70.5%) weight loss (78.1%) and emotional instability (70.2%). All symptoms except forgetfulness (44.8%) craving for sweets (42.5%) headache (49.1%) and fatigue (43.0%) were reduced by at least 50% with fluoxetine administration. Propanolol acted mainly on depression (72.6% remission) dizziness (70.2%) crying (81.9%) nausea (79.4%) isolation (76.1%) and headache (66.2%). These findings suggest that 10 mg/day of fluoxetine should be considered as the first option in treating severe PMS and propanolol should be substituted in women with PMS-related headache. more...

Thirty-four sets of consecutively used double gloves (68 pairs) used by otolaryngologists and their assistants in operations known to have a high risk of glove punctures were studied. The perforation rates for the outer and inner layers were 35.3 and 8.8% respectively, indicating that a second set of gloves substantially improves the likelihood of maintaining an intact barrier between medical staff and patient. more...