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Neonatal arterial ischemic stroke (NAIS) is a rare event that occurs in approximately one in 5000 term or close-to-term infants. Most affected infants will present with seizures. Although a well-recognized clinical entity, many questions remain regarding diagnosis, risk factors, treatment, and follow-up modalities. In the absence of a known pathophysiological mechanism and lack of evidence-based guidelines, only supportive care is currently provided. To address these issues, a French national committee set up by the French Neonatal Society (Société française de néonatologie) and the national referral center (Centre national de référence) for arterial ischemic stroke in children drew up guidelines based on an HAS (Haute Autorité de santé [HAS]; French national authority for health) methodology. The main findings and recommendations established by the study group are: (1) among the risk factors, male sex, primiparity, caesarean section, perinatal hypoxia, and fetal/neonatal infection (mainly bacterial meningitis) seem to be the most frequent. As for guidelines, the study group recommends the following: (1) the transfer of neonates with suspected NAIS to a neonatal intensive care unit with available equipment to establish a reliable diagnosis with MRI imaging and neurophysiological monitoring, preferably by continuous video EEG; (2) acute treatment of suspected infection or other life-threatening processes should be addressed immediately by the primary medical team. Persistent seizures should be treated with a loading dose of phenobarbital 20mg/kg i.v.; (3) MRI of the brain is considered optimal for the diagnosis of NAIS. Diffusion-weighted imaging with apparent diffusion coefficient is considered the most sensitive measure for identifying infarct in the neonatal brain. The location and extent of the lesions are best assessed between 2 and 4 days after the onset of stroke; (4) routine testing for thrombophilia (AT, PC PS deficiency, FV Leiden or FII20210A) or for detecting other biological risk factors such as antiphospholipid antibodies, high FVIII, homocysteinemia, the Lp(a) test, the MTHFR thermolabile variant should not be considered in neonates with NAIS. Testing for FV Leiden can be performed only in case of a documented family history of venous thromboembolic disease. Testing neonates for the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies should be considered only in case of clinical events arguing in favor of antiphospholipid syndrome in the mother; (5) unlike childhood arterial ischemic stroke, NAIS has a low 5-year recurrence rate (approximately 1 %), except in those children with congenital heart disease or multiple genetic thrombophilia. Therefore, initiation of anticoagulation or antithrombotic agents, including heparin products, is not recommended in the newborn without identifiable risk factors; (6) the study group recommends that in case of delayed motor milestones or early handedness, multidisciplinary rehabilitation is recommended as early as possible. Newborns should have physical therapy evaluation and ongoing outpatient follow-up. Given the risk of later-onset cognitive, language, and behavioral disabilities, neuropsychological testing in preschool and at school age is highly recommended.

Objective To synthesize the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using the extracts of Hypnea sp . and to investigate the antibacterial activity against Eshcherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus and invitro cytotoxic activity on HT-29. Methods In the present study, AgNPs were synthesized using the aqueous extract of marine macro-algae, and were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourrier Transform Infra red (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis. Further these synthesized AgNPs were evaluated for their antibacterial activity with the clinical isolates from wound specimens. The isolates were characterized by different tests viz., microscopical observation, colony morphology, biochemical & sugar fermentation tests. The synthesized AgNPs were tested for its antibacterial activity against the isolates by agar well diffussion method. The AgNPs were assessesd for its cytotoxic activity on Human Caucasian colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) cell lines. Results In this study, it is clear that the synthesized AgNPs were spherical measuring 10–20nm and was found to be more bactericidal against Gram-negative bacteria ( E. coli ) than Gram-positive bacteria ( Staphylococcus aureus ) isolated from wound specimen. The invitro screening of the AgNPs showed potential cytotoxic activity against the colon cancer cell lines. Conclusions Proteins can bind to nanoparticles either through the electrostatic attraction of negatively charged carboxylate groups in Hypnea sp . and stabilization of the AgNPs by protein occurs. The antimicrobial activities of AgNPs are influenced by the dimensions of the particles the smaller the particles, the greater antimicrobial effect. The cytotoxic activity may be due to the presence of alkaloids present in the Hypnea sp .

Mangrove is one of the oldest living tree species and its leaves are among the most extensively studied botanicals in use today. Scientific research throughout the world has found evidence to support the fact that its foliar extracts have great potential against human microbial pathogens. This study highlights the isolation of foliar fungi from Rhizophora mucronata, Avicenna officialis and Avicenna marina.It was isolated in Sabouroud's Dextrose Agar and mass cultivation was done in Sabouroud's Dextrose broth.The ethyl acetate extract showed maximum antibacterial activity which inturn checked for different concentration against bacterial pathogens and anticancer activity for Hep2 and MCF7 cell line in vitro. The DNA was isolated from the fungi and the ITS region of 5.8 s RNA was sequenced and assigned to new species as they are separated from the type strains phylogenetic neighbors by sequence similarities.This preliminary screening of fungal endophytes revealed their potential to yield potent bioactive compounds for drug discovery programmes.

Objective: To evaluate the biopotential activity of secondary metabolites from marine sponge Dendrilla nigra (D. nigra) collected from the Gulf of Mannar. Objective: Soxhlet extraction method was used to extract the secondary metabolites and various assays were carried out. Results: D. nigra showed potent antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities and it was also subjected for brine shrimp lethality and cytotoxicity assays. The secondary metabolites were characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Conclusions: Based on the present study, it can be inferred that the bioassay guided fractionation and purification of D. nigra may come up with potent bioactive drug.

The use of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRFS) on fusion discs to determine Fe in iron ores provides high quality data and is widely used by iron ore producers, but is costly. This method of sample preparation eliminates mineral and particle size effects which can lead to biased results when using pressed powder pellets. For many applications, such as exploration and mining control, the method of the XRFS analysis of iron ores by pressed powder pellet probably provides data of adequate quality and this method is now used for most analyses by Kumba Iron Ore, an iron ore producer in South Africa. Automation of sample preparation procedures should improve the quality of data for Fe, K2O and P determined by XRFS using pressed powder pellets. This study was carried out by Kumba to compare the quality of data obtained using the three different sample preparation methods and using precision as the measurement of quality. The three methods were (i) automated sample preparation, measurement on fused dis...

Mangroves that need no introduction in today’s world with a variety of bioactive metabolites have been the interest of marine researchers all over the world. Apart from the resources those flourishes in the dense tangle of roots, mud and tidal water, mangroves are known for it’s medicinal wealth that have been successfully employed for treating a variety of diseases over hundreds of years. For generations, the mangroves have proven its use worldwide. The specific medicinal properties of Rhizophora mucronata depend on the part employed and finds its use to treat human ailments like angina, dysentery, hematuria and many more. It’s no news that the mangrove microbial communities produce a plethora of bioactive secondary metabolites drawing many a curious researcher to the tidal swamps. The search for bioactive metabolites is a result of curiosity and interest as they prove to be new lead structures as generation next medicines bypassing the age-old antibiotics. The present study tests the foliar extracts of Rhizophora mucronata for its antibacterial effect. Moreover the mangrove ecosystem still remains a largely unexplored source of metabolites combating (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcos aureus (MRSA) which consequently leads to studies that are underway to find natural remedies that can effectively take on MRSA .GC MS instrumental analysis was also done to identify the compound hitherto unprecedented in nature.

Recently, a novel microsensor to measure the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) of the human skin has been developed. The sensor is based on an interdigital electrode system covered with a highly hygroscopic salt film. It is mounted inside a closed chamber arrangement in a distance of about 1.4 mm away from the skin. In this paper, the authors present a new method to evaluate and calibrate the sensor device. Different TEWL values are imitated by a variable humidity source. Furthermore, the very high sensitivity of the TEWL sensor is demonstrated. The output signal represented by the conductance of the sensor varies over six orders of magnitude in the relevant TEWL range between 2 and 60 g/(m2middoth)

Background To evaluate the biopotential activity of secondary metabolites in marine sponge Sigmadocia pumila ( S. pumila ) collected from the Kanyakumari region. Methods Soxhlet extraction method using ethylacetate as solvent was used to extract the secondary metabolites and various assays were carried out. Results and discussion S. pumila showed remarkable anticancer activity against Human epidermoid cancer cells (Hep2) and Human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF7). The secondary metabolites were characterized by Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrophotometry (GC MS) analysis. Conclusion Based on the present study, it can be inferred that the bioassay guided fractionation and purification may come up with potent bioactive drug.

All biological risk factors that have been previously identified to increase the risk of thrombosis in adults, have also been studied in neonates with arterial Ischemic Stroke (NAIS), but most studies were retrospective and included relatively low numbers of affected children. We therefore could not suggest recommendations with a strong level of evidence and only expert proposals potentially useful for clinical practice will be presented in this text. Despite these limitations, the extensive analysis of published data supported that factor V Leiden (FVL) and increased levels of Lp(a) could be significant risk factors for NAIS. Importantly, these 2 risk factors cannot be considered as having provoked NAIS, and moreover, they do not influence the prognosis and the immediate treatment. However, since the FVL may have an impact for the prescription of a thromboprophylaxis when the neonate will become adult, to look for its presence in affected patients may be justified. For clinical practice, the following propositions can be applied: 1. Routine testing for thrombophilia (AT, PC PS deficiency, FV Leiden or FII20210A) or for detecting other biological risk factors such as antiphospholipid antibodies, high FVIII, homocystein or Lp(a) levels, MTHFR thermolabile variant, should not be considered in neonates with NAIS. 2. Testing for FV Leiden can be performed in case of documented family history of venous thromboembolic disease. 3. Testing neonates for the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) is mandatory in case of clinical events suggesting antiphospholipid syndrome in the mother (vascular thrombosis, and/or pregnancy morbidity). 4. Routine testing for thrombophilia is not proposed in both parents in case of early death of the neonate, apart from APA in the mother.

The demographic change and an increasing multimorbidity of patients represent increasing challenges for the adequate prehospital treatment of emergency patients. The incorporation of supplementary telemedical concepts and systems can lead to an improved guideline-conform treatment. Beneficial evidence of telemedical procedures is only known for isolated disease patterns; however, no mobile telemedical concept exists which is suitable for use in the wide variety of different clinical situations.This article presents a newly developed and evaluated total telemedical concept (TemRas) that encompasses organizational, medical and technical components. The use of intelligent and robust communication technology and the implementation of this add-on system allows the telemedical support of the rescue service for all emergencies.After development of the telemedical rescue assistance system, which includes organizational, medical and technical components, a telemedical centre and six ambulances in five different districts in North-Rhine Westphalia were equipped with this new tool. During the evaluation phase of 1 year in the routine emergency medical service the rate of complications as well as differences between urban and rural areas were analyzed with respect to different target parameters.Between August 2012 and July 2013 a total of 401 teleconsultations were performed during emergency missions and 24 during secondary interhospital transfers. No complications due to teleconsultation were observed. The mean duration (±SD) of teleconsultations was longer in rural areas than in urban areas with 28.6±12.0 min vs. 25.5±11.1 min (p 0.0001). In 63.2% of these missions administration of medications was delegated to the ambulance personnel (52.0% urban vs. 73.6% rural, p 0.0001). The severity of ailments corresponded to scores of III and VI in the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) classification.Emergency medical care of patients with support by a telemedical system is technically feasible, safe for the patient and allows medical treatment independent of spatial availability of a physician in different emergency situations.

The screening of antimicrobial compounds from mangrove-associated fungi is a promising way to meet the increasing threat of drug-resistant strains of human pathogens. In the present study, a novel foliar fungus was isolated from the leaves of Rhizophora mucronata. Crude fungal extracts were obtained through solvent extraction. The fungal extracts exhibited an effective antimicrobial activity against bacterial strains. This study reports the cytotoxic activity of the secondary metabolite produced by the fungus against Hep 2 (HeLa derivative) cell line by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. GC-MS investigation of the secondary metabolites revealed the active components of the fungal metabolite. The DNA of the fungus was sequenced by amplifying the ITS region of the 5.8s rRNA to be submitted in the Genbank and an accession number was assigned confirming it to be a new strain.

Objective: To explore antibacterial activity and characterization of secondary metabolites isolated from mangrove plant Avicennia officinalis (A. officinalis). Methods: In the present study the leaf extracts of A. officinalis were examined for its antibacterial potential using five different solvents against some reference strains of human pathogenic bacteria for the crude extract. Maximum activity was observed for ethyl acetate and hence different concentrations like 15 μL, 25 μL, and 50 μL of ethyl extracts was checked for its antibacterial activity. Partial purification of crude extract was earned by column chromatography and fractions were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify compounds. Results: The crude ethyl acetate extracts of A. officinalis showed remarkable antibacterial activity with zones of inhibition of 13 mm against Eschericia coli (E. coli) and 11 mm against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Fraction 13 (ethyl acetate: methanol= 8:2) as the most potent one against with the minimal inhibitory concentration of 30 mm against E. coli and 25 mm against S. aureus. The GC-MS resultsof active column fraction (F13) revealed that the active principals were a mixture of hydroxy-4 methoxybenzoic acid, diethyl phthalate, oleic acid. Conclusions: The leaf extracts with proven antibacterial effects can clearly be directed towards cancer treatment as to inhibiting cancer cell growth. The limited number of test organisms owes to a constraint of resource. So, the effect of strong bursts of leaf extracts on human pathogenic bacteria should further be tested on a wide range of test organisms.

Objective: To evaluate the antibacterial activity of foliar extracts of Rhizophora mucronata (R. mucronata) against pathogens belonging to human origin and to identify the compound hitherto unprecedented in nature by GC-MS analysis. Methods: Soxhlet extraction method was used to get the corresponding extracts of ethanol, petroleum ether, acetone, methanol and ethyl acetate. The antimicrobial activities of the organic solvent extracts on the various test organisms using agar well diffusion technique were carried out. Ethyl acetate extract exhibited promising antimicrobial activity and hence minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was performed for the same. Column chromatography was done for partial purification of crude extract and fractions were analyzed by GC-MS. Results: A column chromatographic fractionation of the extracts and further UV visible and CS-MS analysis suggested the active principle compound were a mixture of squalene (19.19%), n-Hexadecanoic acid (6.59%), phytol (4.74%), 2-cyclohexane-1-one, 4-hydroxy-3,5, (4.20%) and oleic acid (2.88%). Conclusions: The results are good enough to serve to transform the practice of research in this sub field across a range of different benefit streams that include drug development. By and large this type of structure analyses are most important as aids to more rational decision taking in safety models versus effectiveness. In general, structural data provide prima facie support for drug hypothesis.

Background: The administration of histamine with iontophoresis is an alternative method to skin prick tests or intradermal injections. Skin reactions obtained with this method can be recorded with laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and previous studies with this method have shown histamine-induced laser Doppler changes in the wheal area. Objective: In order to compare the influence of two H1 receptor antagonists (cetirizine 10 mg vs. ebastine 10 mg) on the skin vascular responses to histamine introduced by iontophoresis, we designed a double-blind, randomized, two-period crossover trial in which 18 volunteers were randomized. Methods: Before and 2, 5 and 7 h after drug administration, iontophoresis (30 s, 1.4 mA/cm2) of histamine 10% was performed and followed by (1) monitoring of skin vascular responses with LDF at the administration site and at 1 cm from it, and (2) wheal and flare area measurements. Results: 2, 5 and 7 h after intake of the antihistaminic drug, there were significant differences between both drugs. Concerning LDF recordings, we noted at the histamine administration site an increase in perfusion unit (PU) values which is an effect known to be in proportion to the degree of inhibition of wheal reaction, and at 1 cm distal to the histamine administration site, there was a decrease in PU values. These changes were more marked under cetirizine. A greater suppressive effect of cetirizine on the wheal and flare reaction was consistently observed at all time points during the study, demonstrating its superior efficacy. Conclusion: We conclude that (1) cetirizine demonstrated a stronger antihistaminic effect compared to ebastine at all time points; (2) iontophoresis appears to be an appropriate method to study specific microvascular changes at the delivery site of histamine and hence to detect the earliest changes occurring at the site of agonist-antagonist competition in the skin.

Antimony, in both its trivalent and pentavalent states may be detrimental to the electrochemical deposition of zinc. Ideally, therefore antimony should be monitored in both oxidation states throughout an electrolytic zinc plant. At hydrochloric acid concentrations ( > 4 M) both antimony(III) and (V) present in zinc plant electrolyte can be reduced at a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) to form an antimony amalgam, Sb(Hg). Consequently a very sensitive analytical signal is obtained for the determination of total antimony by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) using a 1:1 mixture of plant electrolyte and concentrated hydrochloric acid. In contrast, at low acid concentrations (0.1 M) predominantly only antimony(III) can be reduced and therefore determined in zinc plant electrolyte by DPASV at a HMDE by use of a 1:1 mixture of plant electrolyte and 0.2 M hydrochloric acid. The antimony(V) concentration is calculated by the method of subtraction of antimony(III) from total antimony. Consequently, simple addition of high and low concentrations of hydrochloric acid to zinc plant electrolyte can be used to provide a suitable electrolyte for both off-line and on-line methods for determining the concentration of total antimony, antimony(III) and antimony(V). The method described in this article has been applied to a wide range of zinc electrolyte samples and an on-stream analyzer technique has been successfully used for several years at the Pasminco Metals-BHAS electrolytic zinc plant in Port Pirrie, Australia.

SummaryObjectives: Demographic change, rising comorbidity and an increasing number of emer -gencies are the main challenges that emer -gency medical services (EMS) in several countries worldwide are facing. In order to improve quality in EMS, highly trained personnel and well-equipped ambulances are essential. However several studies have shown a deficiency in qualified EMS physicians. Telemedicine emerges as a complementary system in EMS that may provide expertise and improve quality of medical treatment on the scene. Hence our aim is to develop and test a specific teleconsultation system.Methods: During the development process several use cases were defined and technically specified by medical experts and en -gineers in the areas of: system administration, start-up of EMS assistance systems, audio communication, data transfer, routine tele-EMS physician activities and research capabilities. Upon completion, technical field tests were performed under realistic conditions to test system properties such as robustness, feasibility and usability, providing end-to-end measurements.Results: Six ambulances were equipped with telemedical facilities based on the results of the requirement analysis and 55 scenarios were tested under realistic conditions in one month. The results indicate that the developed system performed well in terms of usability and robustness. The major challenges were, as expected, mobile communication and data network availability. Third generation networks were only available in 76.4% of the cases. Although 3G (third generation), such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), provides beneficial conditions for higher bandwidth, system performance for most features was also acceptable under adequate 2G (second generation) test conditions.Conclusions: An innovative concept for the use of telemedicine for medical consultations in EMS was developed. Organisational and technical aspects were considered and practical requirements specified. Since technical feasibility was demonstrated in these technical field tests, the next step would be to prove medical usefulness and technical robustness under real conditions in a clinical trial.

Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine : SJTREM 21, 54 (2013). doi:10.1186/1757-7241-21-54, Published by BioMed Central, London

We present a new software framework for Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling for simulation, prediction, and inference of protein structure. The software package contains implementations of recent advances in Monte Carlo methodology, such as efficient local updates and sampling from probabilistic models of local protein structure. These models form a probabilistic alternative to the widely used fragment and rotamer libraries. Combined with an easily extendible software architecture, this makes PHAISTOS well suited for Bayesian inference of protein structure from sequence and/or experimental data. Currently, two force-fields are available within the framework: PROFASI and OPLS-AA/L, the latter including the generalized Born surface area solvent model. A flexible command-line and configuration-file interface allows users quickly to set up simulations with the desired configuration. PHAISTOS is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0. Source code and documentation are freely available from http://phaistos.sourceforge.net. The software is implemented in C++ and has been tested on Linux and OSX platforms.

Introduction: A novel process for the rapid synthesis of AgNPs using the aqueous extract of marine macro- algae, Ulva lactuca. Methods: The nanoparticles were synthesized by subjecting the reaction media at 121°C for 10 min. and were assessed for in vitro cytotoxic activity on Hep-2, MF7, HT29 and Vero cell lines. Results: The synthesized AgNPs were characterized by observing a peak at 434nm using UV-visible spectroscopy. Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopic analysis was carried out to identify the functional groups responsible for the synthesis of AgNPs. The synthesized AgNPs were further demonstrated and confirmed by the characteristic peaks observed in the XRD image. SEM and TEM images revealed that AgNPs were spherical in shape and measured 20-56nm in size. Qualitative as well as quantitative status of elements that might be involved in the formation of AgNPs is stressed by EDAX analysis. Conclusion: The synthesized nanoparticles were potently cytotoxic against Hep 2 cell lines and mildly cytotoxic against MCF 7 and HT 29 cell lines. The synthesized AgNPs were found to be a cytotoxic against human (Hep2, MCF7 and HT29) cancer cell lines.

To investigate the cytotoxic activity of endophytic fungi isolated from mangrove fungi.In the present study the DNA was isolated and the ITS region of 5.8s rRNA was amplified using specific primers ITS 1 and ITS4 and sequence was determined using automated sequencers. Blast search sequence similarity was found against the existing non redundant nucleotide sequence database thus, identified as Aspergilus flavus, Hyporcaea lixii, Aspergillus niger, Eutorium amstelodami, Irpex hydnoides and Neurospora crassa. Among the seven isolates, one fungi Irpex hydnoides was selected for further studies. The fungi were grown in sabouraud broth for five days and filtrate were separated and subjected to ethyl acetate for further studies.Nearly half (49.25%) of the extracts showed activity (IC50 of 125µg/mL). These values were within the cutoff point of the National Cancer Institute criteria for cytotoxicity (IC5020 µg/mL) in the screening of crude plant extracts. The GC MS analysis revealed that the active principals might be Tetradecane (6.26%) with the RT 8.606.It is clear from the present study that mangrove fungi with bioactive metabolites can be expected to provide high quality biological material for high throughout biochemical, anti cancer screening programmes. The results help us conclude that the potential of using metabolic engineering and post genomic approaches to isolate more novel bioactive compounds and to make their possible commercial application is not far off.

Background: The CA-125 tumor marker has limitations when used to distinguish between benign and malignant ovarian masses. We therefore establish likelihood curves of six subgroups of ovarian pathology based on CA-125 and menopausal status. Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted by the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis group involved 3,511 patients presenting with a persistent adnexal mass that underwent surgical intervention. CA-125 distributions for six tumor subgroups (endometriomas and abscesses, other benign tumors, borderline tumors, stage I invasive cancers, stage II-IV invasive cancers, and metastatic tumors) were estimated using kernel density estimation with stratification for menopausal status. Likelihood curves for the tumor subgroups were derived from the distributions. Results: Endometriomas and abscesses were the only benign pathologies with median CA-125 levels above 20 U/mL (43 and 45, respectively). Borderline and invasive stage I tumors had relatively low median CA-125 levels (29 and 81 U/mL, respectively). The CA-125 distributions of stage II-IV invasive cancers and benign tumors other than endometriomas or abscesses were well separated; the distributions of the other subgroups overlapped substantially. This held for premenopausal and postmenopausal patients. Likelihood curves and reference tables comprehensibly show how subgroup likelihoods change with CA-125 and menopausal status. Conclusions and Impact: Our results confirm the limited clinical value of CA-125 for preoperative discrimination between benign and malignant ovarian pathology. We have shown that CA-125 may be used in a different way. By using likelihood reference tables, we believe clinicians will be better able to interpret preoperative serum CA-125 results in patients with adnexal masses. ©2011 AACR.

β-Carotene is a naturally occurring yellow–orange pigment, which can be derived from saline micro-algae marine phytoplankton and some plant-derived natural oils. In this work, a simple method for the determination of β-carotene, involving only solvent extraction from brine (or soya oil) samples into dichloromethane, followed by addition of electrolyte and direct measurement of the differential-pulse polarogram at mercury electrodes or differential-pulse voltammograms at a glassy carbon electrode, is described, based on the extremely well-defined two-electron oxidation process that occurs in non-aqueous solvents. The method has been applied to soya oil and brine reference concentrates and to feed and effluent samples associated with the production of β-carotene via marine micro-algae. Excellent agreement with a well-established spectrophotometric method has been obtained, confirming that the simple voltammetric method should be a useful addition to the analytical methodology available for monitoring the production of β-carotene concentrates.

Recently we have developed a novel microsensor to measure the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) of human skin. The sensor is based on an interdigital electrode system covered with a highly hygroscopic salt film. In this paper we present a new method to evaluate and calibrate the sensor device. Different TEWL values are imitated by a variable humidity source. We demonstrate the very high sensitivity of our TEWL sensor. The output signal represented by the conductance of the sensor varies over six orders of magnitude in the relevant TEWL range between 2 and 60 g/(m/sup 2/h). Our precise calibration method is very important for the reliable medical diagnosis of skin diseases.

In the past we demonstrated the measuring principle of a new thin film sensor which is capable of measuring the evaporation rate of the human skin. This rate is called transepidermal water loss (TEWL). The sensor consists of electrodes with interdigital structure. Water evaporated from human skin precipitates on the sensor's surface and alters the electrical impedance of the sensor. The change of the impedance is used to evaluate the TEWL. In order to correlate the electrical impedance and the TEWL it was necessary to develop suitable calibration measurements. We established an experimental setup to measure the evaporation rate of distinct cellulose tissues which were selected such that they serve as references for different types of skin. The evaporation rate was determined using a precision balance. By recording the loss of weight together with the change of impedance we received the respective calibration curve of our sensor system. Due to the strong dependence on the air humidity we calibrated the system at different levels of relative humidity and received a set of calibration curves each of which is valid for the respective air humidity. These calibration curves were approximated by polynomials to allow a fast and easy evaluation of the measured data. Finally, we demonstrate and discuss measurement results obtained at persons with different types of skin (normal and atopic skin)

Somatic coliphages, F-specific RNA bacteriophages, bacteriophages infecting Bacteroides fragilis , Escherichia coli and enterococci were counted in bathing waters in the late spring and summer. We tested fresh and marine bathing waters from North, South, East and West Europe expected to contain between 100 and 500 E. coli per 100 ml, although wider ranges were sometimes found. Bacteriophages were counted after concentration, since a preliminary study proved that this step was necessary to obtain positive counts. During monitoring, a first-line quality control with reference materials for bacteria and bacteriophages was performed by all the laboratories participating in the study. The same microbes were also counted in raw sewage samples from various areas in Europe, where the bacterial indicators and the three groups of bacteriophages were detected in roughly the same numbers. All groups of bacteriophages were detected in both fresh and marine bathing waters throughout Europe. Reliable and complete results from 147 samples showed that for log-transformed values, E. coli and bacteriophages were slightly correlated. However, the slope of the regression line changed according to E. coli concentration and the correlation diminished when this concentration was close to zero per 100 ml. The ratios between E. coli and phages in bathing waters differed significantly from those in sewage. The relative amounts of bacteriophages, mainly somatic coliphages and phages infecting Bact. fragilis RYC2056, increased in bathing waters with low E. coli concentration, especially in seawater samples containing E. coli per 100 ml. The relationship of bacteriophages with respect to enterococci paralleled that of bacteriophages with respect to E. coli . Somatic coliphages and bacteriophages infecting Bact. fragilis are useful to predict the presence of some pathogens with the same origin as present bacterial indicators but with higher survival rates.

Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from seaweed extracts is currently under exploitation. Seaweed extracts are cost effective and eco-friendly and thus can be an economic and efficient alternative for large-scale synthesis of nanoparticles. The present study reports the synthesis of AgNPs from silver precursor, silver nitrate using aqueous extract of seaweed Gracilaria corticata (G. corticata). The organic compounds present in the filtrate of G. corticata were mainly responsible for reduction of silver ions to AgNPs. The filtrate when added to 1 mM aqueous silver nitrate solution at 121°C changed to dark brown colour solution within ten minutes, which confirms the bioreduction. These extremely stable AgNPs were characterised by UV-Vis spectrophotometer, FTIR, XRD, TEM, and EDS analysis. The nanoparticles exhibited maximum absorbance at 424 nm in the UV spectrum. The presence of proteins was identified by FTIR. TEM micrograph revealed the formation of polydispersed and spherical shaped nanoparticles with the size range of 10–50 nm and the presence of elemental silver were confirmed by EDS analysis. These nanoparticles showed cytotoxic activity against Hep2 cells.

Perennial allergic rhinitis may impair social life. General scales of quality of life (QOL) are used to detect the importance of social life impairment, but the reliability and validity of QOL measures should be tested in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. The extent to which QOL scores differ in patients with rhinitis and healthy subjects is unknown.A cross-sectional study was carried out in 111 patients with moderate to severe perennial allergic rhinitis and 116 healthy subjects to assess the validity of a general QOL scale, the SF-36 Health Status Questionnaire. This scale is based on 36 items selected to represent nine health concepts (dimensions). The internal reliability of each dimension of the questionnaire was examined. The differences in QOL scores between patients with rhinitis and healthy subjects were studied.Most QOL scores were highly reliable. There was a significant impairment in eight of nine QOL dimensions in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis in comparison with healthy subjects.The SF-36 Health Status Questionnaire allows discrimination between patients with perennial allergic rhinitis and healthy subjects.

(1983). The use of porous and surface modified silicas as drug delivery and stabilizing agents. Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy: Vol. 9, No. 1-2, pp. 69-91.

The emulsion polymerization of vinyl chloride initiated by a redox pair in the presence of acrylamide in the aqueous phase gives a product which apparently corresponds to a block copolymer of polyacrylamide and polyvinyl chloride). A reaction scheme is proposed which involves the attack of the vinyl chloride in the micelles by a growing polyacrylamide radical, thus producing the hydrophilic - lypophilic copolymer. Isopropyl alcohol is used as a transfer agent to limit the size of the PAA chains growing in the aqueous phase. The reaction product was characterized by selective solvent extraction, elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and differential thermal analysis.