The hospital is a thermal environment where comfort must be calibrated by taking into account two different groups of people, that is, patients and medical staff. The study involves 30 patients and ...19 medical staff with a view to verifying if Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) index can accurately predict thermal sensations of both groups also taking into account any potential effects of age and gender. The methodology adopted is based on the comparison between PMV values (calculated according to ISO 7730 after having collected environmental data and estimated personal parameters) and perceptual judgments (Actual Mean Vote, AMV), expressed by the subjects interviewed. Different statistical analyses show that PMV model finds his best correlation with AMV values in a sample of male medical staff under 65 years of age. It has been observed that gender and age are factors that must be taken into account in the assessment of thermal comfort in the hospital due to very weak correlation between AMV and PMV values.
•Comparison between AMV and PMV values in the hospital taking into account factors as gender and age.•Correlation diagrams of PMV and AMV values are concordant for medical staff, discordant for patients.•The association between AMV and PMV is stronger for medical staff than for patients.•PMV finds its best correlation with AMV values among male medical staff under 65 years of age.•Gender and age are factors that must be taken into account in the assessment of thermal comfort in the hospital.
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•Modification of heterogeneous photocatalytic material with gold nanoparticles.•Acetylacetone as reducing agent for the growth of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs).•Samples with different ...wt.% of Au were tested and structurally characterized.•The new Au-TiO2 material showed a lowering of band gap energy.•Photocatalytic kinetic constant for Alizarin Red S degradation was improved.
A new approach to obtain a heterogeneous photocatalytic material with gold nanoparticles and TiO2 semiconductor was performed exploiting the reducing ability of acetylacetone, a chemical present in the TiO2 paste formulation. Gold/TiO2 heterogeneous catalyst supported on polypropylene PP@Au-TiO2A was prepared; composition, structure and morphology of this new material were defined by using UV–Vis spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Raman Spectroscopy, Photoluminescence and Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy. The new material was tested in the photocatalytic degradation of Alizarin Red S in water solution, as target pollutant, under visible light and correlated with structural and spectroscopic characterizations. PP@Au-TiO2A showed higher photocatalytic activity respect to pure PP@TiO2A with an improvement of photodegradation kinetic. The best performance was obtained using PP@Au-TiO2A sample with 0.006 wt.% of Au and the photocatalytic improvement was correlated with the band gap energy decrease of photocatalyst.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of Zn, Cu, Mn, Se, Mo, Co, Li, B, Ti, Cr, Rb, Sr, Cd, and Pb in donkey milk and their distribution in major milk fractions (i.e., fat, casein, ...whey proteins, and aqueous phase). Individual milk samples were provided by 16 clinically healthy lactating donkeys. Subsequent centrifugation, ultracentrifugation, and ultrafiltration were carried out to remove fat, casein, and whey proteins to obtain skim milk, a supernatant whey fraction, and the aqueous phase of milk, respectively. Concentrations of the elements were measured in whole milk and fractions by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and the concentrations associated with fat, casein, and whey proteins were then calculated. The effect of removal of fat, casein, and whey proteins was determined by repeated-measures ANOVA. The fat fraction of donkey milk carried a small (∼4.5% to 13.5%) but significant proportion of Mo, Co, Ti, Cr, and Sr. The casein fraction in donkey milk carried almost all milk Zn, a majority of Cu and Mn, and most of Mo, Ti, and Sr. Relevant proportions, between 20% and 36%, of Se, Co, and Cr were also associated with caseins. The majority of Se, Co, Li, B, Cr, and Rb, and relevant proportions of Mn, Mo, Ti, and Sr were found in soluble form (ultracentrifuged samples) and distributed between whey proteins and the aqueous phase of milk (ultrafiltered samples). Whey proteins in donkey milk carried the majority of milk Se and Co. All Li and B was present in the aqueous phase of milk, which also contained most Rb and Cr, and 17% to 42% of Mn, Se, Mo, Co, Ti, and Sr.
Calves born on Eastern Canadian dairy farms that are not kept in the herds are traditionally sold through auction markets and are raised for meat purposes such as veal calves. Since February 2020, a ...new Canadian federal regulation has forbidden calves <9 d old to be sold through auction markets. However, in the absence of a real-time birth registry consultation system, it would be of interest to look for predictors that could be associated with age to allow identification of calves too young to be transported. In the current retrospective cross-sectional study, 1,178 calves with a declared birth date (411 calves aged <9 d old; 34.9%) were assessed in 2 large Québec auction sites. Easy-to-record covariates body weight (BW), breed phenotype, and presence of an umbilical cord remnant as well as other clinical signs (umbilical swelling, enlargement, umbilical pain, wet umbilicus, skin tent, sunken eyes, ocular and nasal secretion, and hide cleanliness) were assessed. Two logistic regression models using age as a dichotomous dependent variable (<9 d old vs ≥9 d old) were built. The first model (model 1) considered all covariates, which were selected after univariable analyses and a backward stepwise selection process, whereas a more pragmatic model (model 2) only included the 3 easy-to-record variables (i.e., BW, breed, umbilical cord). Both models had similar accuracy to detect calves <9 d old (sensitivity of 38.4 and 37.5%, and specificity of 85.7 and 84.6% for model 1 and 2, respectively). Model 2 was subsequently more specifically studied as it employs a faster and easier assessment. Decision thresholds were tested for their robustness based on misclassification cost term (MCT) analysis with various prevalence of calves <9 d old and various costs of false-negative:false-positive ratio. Despite statistical significance, model accuracy, even if refined with MCT analysis, was limited at the individual level, showing the limits of using physical signs and BW or their combination as a reliable proxy of age. The sensitivity of these models to find calves <9 d old was not to be used for monitoring compliance with the Canadian federal regulation. The relatively high model specificity may help to use this model as a rule-in test (i.e., targeting positive calves for further investigation) rather than a rule-out test (due to its low sensitivity).
The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of Ca, P, S, Mg, K, and Na, and their distribution in major fractions of donkey milk (i.e., fat, casein, whey proteins, and aqueous phase). ...Individual milk samples were collected by mechanical milking from 16 clinically healthy lactating donkeys. Milk yield per milking was recorded and milk gross composition, casein content, and pH were determined. Whole milk samples were centrifuged to separate fat and to obtain skim milk. Skim milk samples were ultracentrifuged to separate a sedimentable casein pellet and to obtain a supernatant whey (soluble) fraction, which was then ultrafiltered to obtain the aqueous phase of donkey milk. Whole milk and the processed samples were analyzed for the aforementioned elements by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The concentration of elements associated with fat, casein, and whey proteins was then calculated. All the Na was present in the aqueous phase. The fat fraction in donkey milk carried very little or none of the investigated elements. The majority of Ca (62.9%) and P (53.1%) was associated with casein, and the rest of these elements was mostly present in the aqueous phase. The majority of Mg was present in the aqueous phase, but a relevant part (32.6%) was associated with the casein fraction. No K was associated with casein. On a molar basis, the ratio of colloidal Ca and P to casein (mmol/g of casein) was more than double the values reported in literature for cow milk. The correlation coefficient was negative between milk pH and P in the ultracentrifuged (r = −0.81) and ultrafiltered (aqueous) fraction (r = −0.66). Milk pH correlated positively with colloidal Ca (r = 0.59) and with the ratio of colloidal Ca to casein (mmol/g of casein; r = 0.68). Colloidal Ca and P were positively correlated (r = 0.64). These data suggest that the high ratio of colloidal Ca and P to donkey casein micelles is due to a larger amount of colloidal calcium phosphate bound to casein micelles compared with literature data on cow milk. The percentage of elements associated with whey proteins was less than 5% for Ca, P, and K, but Mg reached approximately 9% of total Mg. The majority of S (63.6%) was associated with whey proteins, and only one-fourth of this element was associated with casein, indicating a higher content of sulfur-containing amino acids in donkey whey proteins than in casein.
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to propose our four-step technique, an open extraperitoneal approach for complex flank, lumbar, and iliac hernias.
Methods
A big polypropylene mesh is placed, ...covering and reinforcing all the lateral abdominal wall in an extraperitoneal space. Its borders are retroxiphoid fatty triangle and the costal arch cranially and the retropubic space caudally, psoas muscle, and paravertebral region posteriorly and contralateral rectus muscle medially. Mesh dimensions do not depend from the defect size, but prosthesis has to cover all the lateral abdominal wall.
Results
No major complications have been reported. The mean length of stay is 4.8 days (range 3–11). Mean follow-up is 44.8 months (range 5–92). One recurrence (4.5%) has been reported at the 1-year clinical evaluation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we believe that regardless size and location of the defect, every complex lateral hernia requires the same extensive repair because of the critical anatomy of the region with a big medium-heavyweight polypropylene mesh placed in an extraperitoneal plane, the only one that allows adequate covering of the visceral sac.
Our technique is a safe, feasible, and reproducible treatment for this challenging surgical problem.
•Systematic review and meta-analyses in equine and bovine medicine were assessed.•A critical appraisal tool to assess systematic review (AMSTAR) and PRISMA checklist for abstract were applied.•AMSTAR ...can be used with an acceptable interrater reliability for SR-MA methodology quality assessment.
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is used in various areas including veterinary medicine. The assessment of the quality of systematic review and meta-analyses (SR-MA) despite their importance in the EBM process is uncommonly performed in veterinary medicine due to the absence of specific dedicated tools. The main objective of this observational study was to examine the extent and nature of SR-MA that can be available online to an equine or bovine veterinarian. Secondary objectives included: (1) to determine if A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) tool can be used for equine and bovine SR-MA methodological assessment and if it has a satisfactory interrater reliability in a subsample of these SR-MA and (2) to appraise the completeness of abstract reporting of this sample.
A scoping review using equine and bovine medical science SR-MA retrieved from PubMed was performed. A sub-sample of these reviews (n = 30) were independently assessed by 3 different raters using the AMSTAR tool validated for medical reviews. The completeness of abstract reporting was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist.
Ten and 168 SR-MA were retrieved for equine and bovine species respectively. For bovine SR-MA, 93 reviews were about nutrition and metabolism topic. On the 30 SR-MA subsamples, with 10 equine and 20 bovine SR-MA randomly chosen for AMSTAR assessment, the median interrater agreement (Kappa) was 0.60 (interquartile range: 0.36–0.71) depending on AMSTAR item and pairs of raters. When focusing on the total score of AMSTAR, the inter-observer intra-class correlation coefficient was very good (0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.74–0.92). The AMSTAR items that were unfrequently reported (33% or less of reviews) were “a priori” protocol of SR-MA specification, complete report of the list of studies (included and excluded studies), quality assessment of the included studies, publication bias assessment and conflict of interest (reported either for included studies and for SR-MA authors). Abstracts reporting quality was low with a median percentage of complete reported items of 33% (range: 8–58%)
In large animal veterinary medicine, SR-MA are uncommonly performed in equine and bovine medicine. The SR-MA can be assessed using AMSTAR with acceptable inter-rater reliability, which is helpful to assess SR-MA methodological quality.
•There is a correlation between environmental particulate matter and health effects.•We studied in vitro simvastatin’s potential protective effect on ROFA cytotoxicity.•ROFA decreased cell viability, ...increased ROS generation, apoptosis and senescence.•Pretreatment with simvastatin attenuated the adverse effects observed.•Simvastatin may provide protection against particulate matter-induced neurotoxicity.
Epidemiological studies have shown a positive correlation between environmental particulate matter and adverse health effects. In particular, residual oil fly ash (ROFA) induces inflammation and reactive oxygen species (ROS), exerting not only local, but also systemic adverse effects. Previously, in an experimental animal model, we found that simvastatin (Sv) pretreatment was effective in preventing ROFA induced lung inflammation. Herein, using the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line as a neurotoxicity in vitro model, we studied the potential Sv protective effect on ROFA cytotoxicity. We evaluated cell viability by the MTT assay, superoxide anion generation by NBT test, Nrf2 activation by immunofluorescence, apoptosis by cleaved-PARP and active-caspase 3 expressions, and senescence by β-galactosidase activity. SH-SY5Y cells exposed to ROFA (10 and 50μg/ml) for 24h showed decreased cell viability, increased superoxide anion generation, apoptosis and senescence. Pretreatment with Sv (1μM) for 6 days, restored cell viability to basal levels, reduced ROFA-induced O2− generation as well as the number of apoptotic and senescent cells. Sv pretreatment stimulated the basal and ROFA-induced levels of Nrf2 nuclear translocation suggesting that activation of the cellular antioxidant defense system prevented particle-induced oxidative stress. In parallel, rescue experiments with mevalonate did not modify the effects of SV pretreatment in any of the parameters evaluated in this study. We conclude that simvastatin may provide neuroprotection against air particulate matter-induced neurotoxicity independently of its ability to inhibit cholesterol synthesis.
Compact silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguide thermo-optically tunable Fabry-Perot microcavities with silicon/air Bragg mirrors are demonstrated. Quality factors of Q=4,584 are measured with finesse ...F=82. Tuning is achieved by flowing current directly through the silicon cavity resulting in efficient thermo-optic tuning over 2 nm for less than 50 mW applied electrical power. The high-Q cavities enable fast switching (1.9 mus rise time) at low drive power (<10 mW). By overdriving the device, rise times of 640 ns are obtained. Various device improvements are discussed.