Electrolytes for Li-ion transport – Review Marcinek, M.; Syzdek, J.; Marczewski, M. ...
Solid state ionics,
August 2015, 2015-08-00, 20150801, Letnik:
276
Journal Article
Recenzirano
In the present paper an authoritative report based on opinion of the group working in the field of electrolytes for battery application are presented. In the following sections first each group of ...the material will be introduced and the recent ideas how to improve their performance in lithium and/or lithium-ion battery technology will be discussed. This will be followed by the presentation of ideas which in our opinion open new fields of research and possibly lead to an improvement of the battery performance.
•Paper presents a critical review of electrolytes for Lithium batteries. It also deals with possible new strategies and materials being characterized recently.
Saliva is a liquid environment of the oral ecosystem that to some extent reflects the local state of oral cavity or the general state of health of the human body. Since saliva reflects general health ...status of the human organism and is easy to collect, it can be used as a non-invasive diagnostic tool. In the present review the authors discuss and highlight the role of oxidant-antioxidant balance in the blood and saliva in human pathology. Particularly, the evaluation of oxidative stress status was proposed as an important factor in diagnosing the development and progress of such general diseases as periodontal disease, oral cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic renal failure, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, and HIV. Moreover, the tryptophan metabolites via kynurenine pathway measured in the plasma and saliva are proposed as new and sensitive markers of oxidative stress status. It is concluded that measurement of oxidative stress in salivary fluid may provide a tool for diagnosing, monitoring and treatment of some systemic diseases as well as of local pathologic disturbances (e.g. periodontal disease).
Background: The current EAACI/GA²LEN/EDF guidelines recommend assessing disease activity in chronic urticaria (CU) by using an established and well‐defined symptom score, i.e. the urticaria activity ...score (UAS), which combines daily wheal numbers and pruritus intensity. However, this UAS has never been formally tested for its suitability in assessing CU activity.
Aim: To determine the UAS correlation with quality of life (QoL) in CU patients and to compare the UAS to other symptom scores.
Methods: Chronic urticaria symptoms (wheals, erythema, angioedema, pruritus) were assessed on seven consecutive days in 111 CU patients for their numbers, duration, size, and/or intensity. Quality of life was assessed by using the Dermatology Life Quality Index. Both, urticaria activity and QoL were determined before and after a 3‐week period, in which the patients followed a pseudoallergen‐low diet.
Results: Urticaria activity score values correlated positively, albeit weakly, with QoL impairment in CU patients (r2 = 0.31, P < 0.05). Also, changes in QoL following a pseudoallergen‐low diet were reflected by the changes observed in the UAS (r2 = 0.30, P < 0.05). No significant differences were found comparing the QoL correlation of the UAS and other symptom scores combining up to four CU symptom qualities. Quality of life correlation with UAS values increased with the number of days the UAS was assessed and plateaued starting from the fourth consecutive day.
Conclusions: Our findings back the current guideline recommendations to use the UAS for monitoring disease activity in CU patients. Urticaria activity score mean values of at least four consecutive days should be used.
Chronic urticaria (CU) is a common skin disorder that causes a substantial burden on patients' quality-of-life (QoL). The aim of this work was to generate and validate a German version of the Chronic ...Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire (CU-Q₂oL) and to provide reference assessments of QoL. The Italian CU-Q₂oL was translated into German and administered to 157 CU patients. They also completed two well-established general dermatology QoL questionnaires, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Skindex-29. Factor analysis was used to identify scales of the German CU-Q₂oL. Correlation to the DLQI and Skindex-29 was used for validation. Multiple linear regression was used to determine which patient characteristics were associated with which dimensions of QoL. The factor analysis identified six scales of the German CU-Q₂oL: functioning, sleep, itching/embarrassment, mental status, swelling/eating, and limits looks, which accounted for 70% of the data variance. Five of these six scales showed good internal consistency, and another five demonstrated convergent validity. On a percentile scale, they had these median CU-Q₂oL scores: 29 functioning, 44 sleep, 50 itching/embarrassment, 50 mental status, 31 swelling/eating, 31 limits looks. Disease severity significantly predicted scores on all scales. Age predicted functioning, sleep, itching/embarrassment, and swelling/eating. Sex predicted itching/embarrassment and limits looks. This study yielded a robust validation of the German version of the CU-Q₂oL. It confirmed previous studies that CU has a clinically meaningful burden on QoL, especially for sleep and mental health, and that women are more severely affected by pruritus. The German CU-Q₂oL should be widely adopted in clinical research on the treatment of CU.
•Cryostat for thermal conductivity measurement.•Material in amorphous or polycrystalline state can be obtained inside the cryostat.•Sample is heated to the melting point and then cooled to the glass ...transition temperature.•The average cooling rate is about 22 K/min.
Experimental setup for the thermal conductivity measurement of amorphous solids with the glass transition temperature below 250 K is presented. This setup allows to heat the specimen to the melting point and then cool it fast to the glass transition temperature. Thermal conductivity can be investigated in the temperature range from 5 K to 300 K. Thermal conductivity of ethanol in amorphous and polycrystalline states was measured for the verification of the setup function. The results of the measurements agree well with those presented in literature.
Introduction
Schizophrenia (SZ) is associated with changes in haematological parameters related to low-grade inflammation state and could be amplified via oxidative stress (OS) related mechanisms. ...Although studies confirm this relationship, the results could be cofounded by patients’ treatment.
Objectives
The study aimed to assess the connection between venous blood count and OS in drug-naïve first-episode SZ patients.
Methods
The study consisted of 24 SZ drug-naïve patients during first episode of psychosis (median age: 22 years), and 31 healthy individuals (HC) as a control group (median age: 28 years). The examination included clinical data, OS parameters (enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants), peripheral blood counts.
Results
We did not find differences between SZ and HC in blood count parameters (p>0.05). In patients group, white blood cells (WBC), neutrophils and neutrophils-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were positively related with the severity of positive symptoms (R=0.59, R=0.53, R=0.50; p<0.05, respectively). WBC was related to superoxide dismutase (SOD-1) levels (HC: R=-0.36, SZ: R=0.70; p<0.05). Neutrophils were positively related to catalase (CAT) (R=0.52; p<0.05) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) (R=0.61; p<0.05), but only in the patients’ group. There was a positive relationship between NLR and CAT (R=0.45; p<0.05) in the SZ group.
Conclusions
The results indicate potential connection and interplay between OS and blood count parameters in the onset of psychotic episode. Further studies on a larger group of patients are needed.
Disclosure
No significant relationships.
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is one of the most common autoimmune diseases. It is suggested that, in addition to thyroid gland dysfunction, HT is responsible for impaired secretion from the salivary ...glands. The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent of symptoms of salivary gland dysfunction. We also assessed the relationship between the levels of selected cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors in unstimulated whole saliva (UWS) and the rate of UWS secretion and symptoms of xerostomia in HT patients. The study group consisted of 25 female patients diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease in its spontaneous euthyroid state who had never received hormonal treatment. In more than half of the examined patients, we observed the level of UWS secretion below 0.2 mL/min, indicating impaired secretory function of the salivary glands. Moreover, we demonstrated that the clinical symptoms of salivary gland dysfunction worsen with disease duration. Nevertheless, the inflammatory changes occurring in these glands are independent of general inflammation in the course of HT. Our results clearly indicate an abnormal profile of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors in the UWS of HT euthyroid women as well as the fact that concentrations of IL-6 and IL-1 as well as INF-γ, TNF-α, and IL-12 may be potential biomarkers for salivary gland dysfunction in the course of HT. Furthermore, salivary IL-12 (p40) may be helpful in assessing the progression of autoimmunity-related inflammation in the course of HT. In conclusion, secretory dysfunction of the salivary glands is closely related to autoimmunity-related inflammation in the course of HT, which leads to objective and subjective symptoms of dry mouth.
Adult female acne: a new paradigm Dréno, B.; Layton, A.; Zouboulis, C.C. ...
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology,
09/2013, Letnik:
27, Številka:
9
Journal Article
Recenzirano
In the adult female, acne is a chronic condition with a substantial negative psychological, social and emotional impact. Based on time of onset, two subtypes of adult female acne are recognized: ...‘persistent acne’ is a continuation of the disease from adolescence, while ‘late‐onset acne’ first presents in adulthood. The morphological characteristics of adult female acne are often distinct from adolescent acne. In adults, inflammatory lesions (particularly papules, pustules and nodules) are generally more prominent on the lower chin, jawline and neck, and comedones are more often closed comedones (micro cysts). Adult acne is mainly mild‐to‐moderate in severity and may be refractory to treatment. A holistic approach to acne therapy should be taken in adult females, which combines standard treatments with adjunctive therapy and cosmetic use. A number of factors specific to the adult female influence choice of treatment, including the predisposition of older skin to irritation, a possible slow response to treatment, a high likelihood of good adherence, whether of child‐bearing age, and the psychosocial impact of the disease. Adherence to therapy should be encouraged through further patient education and a simplified regimen that is tailored to suit the individual patient’s needs and lifestyle. This article reviews the specific characteristics of adult female acne, and provides recommendations for acne therapy in this patient group.
High thermal conductivity is an important parameter for nitride-based power electronic and deep-UV light emitters. Especially in the latter case short period superlattices and multicomponent alloys ...are used and the knowledge of the thermal properties of the binary compounds is sufficient. In-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivity of AlGaN/GaN superlattices were measured by differential two-wire 3 method in the temperature range from 147 to 325 K. Samples were grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy; the structure quality and accuracy of superlattice structures preparation were verified by means of HRXRD and transmission electron microscopy. It was observed, that value of thermal conductivities decrease with decreasing period thickness, while temperature dependencies differ from each other-in-plane thermal conductivity decreases, and cross-plane-increases with increasing temperature. Callaway method was used for thermal conductivity calculation; dependence of boundary scattering rate on the phonon wavelength was taken into account. Minimum thermal conductivity was added to calculated values to include the influence of high frequency acoustic phonons and optical phonons on the heat transport. Calculations are in good agreement with experimental results.
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