Successful High-Dosage Dexamethasone Treatment of H1N1 Influenza A Pneumonia Complicated with Acute Necrotizing Encephalitis in an HIV-Infected Adult| BLOG – Scientific Research Publishing

Successful High-Dosage Dexamethasone Treatment of H1N1 Influenza A Pneumonia Complicated with Acute Necrotizing Encephalitis in an HIV-Infected Adult| BLOG – Scientific Research Publishing

Author(s)：Kuan-Chih Chen, Chien-Hung Gow, Chia-Jui Yang, Hou-Tai Chang

ABSTRACT
Neurological manifestations in H1N1 influenza A infection are very rare, especially in adults, and its mechanism of action is still uncertain. Here, we reported the case of a 53-year-old woman with human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) who had H1N1 influenza A pneumonia complicated with very rare acute necrotizing encephalitis, although the HIV was under control. With prompt identification and administration of high dosage of dexamethasone, her mental status improved from stupor to clear, with minimal right hemiparesis. Further, brain magnetic resonance image revealed great resolution of mass effect. This dramatic improvement in response to the treatment may improve our understanding of the pathophysiology between H1N1 influenza A infection and acute necrotizing encephalitis.

source:

Journal： Case Reports in Clinical Medicine
DOI: 10.4236/crcm.2015.47048 (PDF)
Paper Id: 57713 (metadata)

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Ålesund—The Art Nouveau City| BLOG – Scientific Research Publishing

Ålesund—The Art Nouveau City| BLOG – Scientific Research Publishing

Author(s)：Larysa Karaliova

Abstract

STONE HOUSES IN THE CENTER OF THE CITY. PHOTO: AUTHOR.

Cities and their people have their own fate, and sometimes it is tragic. Often tragic events lead to the death and oblivion of a city, and traces of them only remain in the pages of historical chronicles. Ålesund has had both a tragic and a happy fate. A conflagration in 1905 became a turning point in the history of the city. Ålesund was destroyed, and only ashes were left. This tragedy changed its outlook,
and made it world famous because Ålesund was completely rebuilt in an Art Nouveau style.

Introduction
Before the Fire
In the 19th century, Ålesund was a small fishing village (there were many of these along the Norwegian coast)[1]. Ålesund was a town of fishermen, go-getters, businessmen, and workers. They produced many goods for export: fish, cod liver oil, vitamin oil, and guano, a type of fishmeal. Increases in production and export involved a large workforce. Agricultural workers from nearby moved into the town and found jobs on fishing boats, and in the docks, factories, warehouses, and elsewhere. The town grew, and housing in the town center became very dense, with wall-to-wall buildings and narrow streets. However, the streets were adequately wide for walking and small carts. All production and storage facilities were located on the shore of the bay, and items moved mostly by water. Here, fish were harvested for both the local market and for export. The chief export of Ålesund was clipfish, which is fish that is cut, salted, and dried on the rocks. Favorable market conditions brought revenue to the treasury of the town. In 1841, Ålesund was granted by authorities the status of a city.

A special pride of Ålesund was its fire brigade with a permanent team of 20 stately men, as many members again as a reserve team, and about 230 volunteers. When a fire occurred, the fire brigade could count on the help of 12,500 men found among the residents of the town [2]. Fires occurred frequently, especially in the winter, because houses were heated with wood or coal, and it was not always possible to keep domestic fires under control.
The fire department was equipped with an observation tower located on a hill in the center of the city. The observation tower was manned around the clock. In 1903, an expensive hydrant system was commissioned into service. The fire department was also equipped with an 18-pound cannon loaded with a blank cartridge to wake up the town inhabitants [2]. In addition to their regular duties, members of the fire brigade had to be able to speak Spanish because there were always many Spanish ships in the harbor. The fire service was arranged perfectly, and the team coped valiantly with the many serious fires. On one occasion though, the elements were stronger than the people.

source:

Journal： Voice of the Publisher

Paper Id: 57562 (metadata)

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Green Liver Systems® for Water Purification: Using the Phytoremediation Potential of Aquatic Macrophytes for the Removal of Different Cyanobacterial Toxins from Water| BLOG – Scientific Research Publishing

Green Liver Systems® for Water Purification: Using the Phytoremediation Potential of Aquatic Macrophytes for the Removal of Different Cyanobacterial Toxins from Water| BLOG – Scientific Research Publishing

Author(s) ：Stephan Pflugmacher, Sandra Kühn, Sang-Hyup Lee, Jae-Woo Choi, Seungyun Baik, Kyu-Sang Kwon, Valeska Contardo-Jara

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONVENTIONAL WETLAND SYSTEMS AND THE NEWLY DEVELOPED GREEN LIVER SYSTEM® USING THE CYANOBACTERIAL TOXIN MICROCYSTIN-LR AS AN EXAMPLE. THE PRODUCTION OF METABOLITES [5] FROM MC-LR WITH UNKNOWN TOXICITY IN CONVENTIONAL WETLANDS BY BACTERIAL BIOFILMS IS THE MAIN DIFFERENCE, AS IN THE GREEN LIVER SYSTEM THE METABOLISATION IS PERFORMED WITHIN THE PLANT CELLS, WITH NO RELEASE OF METABOLITES INTO THE SURROUNDING WATER BODY.

ABSTRACT
The protection and reasonable use of freshwater is one of the main goals for our future, as water is most important for all organisms on earth including humans. Due to pollution, not only with xenobiotics, but also with nutrients, the status of our water bodies has changed drastically. Excess nutrient load induces eutrophication processes and, as a result, massive cyanobacterial blooms during the summer times. As cyanobacteria are known to produce several toxic secondary metabolites, the so-called cyanotoxins
, exhibiting hepato-, neuro- and cell-toxicity, a potential risk is given, when using this water. There is an urgent need to have a water purification system, which is able to cope with these natural toxins. Using aquatic plants as a Green Liver, the Green Liver System?, was developed, able to remove these natural pollutants. To test the ability of the Green Liver System?, several cyanobacterial toxins including artificial and natural mixtures were tested in a small-scale laboratory system. The results showed that within 7 – 14 days a combination of different aquatic macrophytes was able to remove a given toxin amount (10 μg·L-1) by 100%. The phytoremediation technology behind the Green Liver Systems? uses the simple ability of submerged aquatic plants to uptake, detoxify and store the toxins, without formation and release of further metabolites to the surrounding water.

source:

Journal： American Journal of Plant Sciences
DOI: 10.4236/ajps.2015.69161 (PDF)
Paper Id: 57519 (metadata)

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Analyzing the Physico-Chemical Parameters of Detergents and Detergent Mixtures| BLOG – Scientific Research Publishing

Analyzing the Physico-Chemical Parameters of Detergents and Detergent Mixtures| BLOG – Scientific Research Publishing

Author(s)： Britta Tschapek, Sander H. J. Smits, Lutz Schmitt

ABSTRACT
The most important physico-chemical characteristics describing detergent micelles are the CMC value and the aggregation number. These parameters depend critically on external conditions such as pH, ionic strength, buffer composition or temperature. However, the influence of these conditions on CMC or aggregation number is a priori not to predict, but the most important parameter. This holds especially for the aggregation number. Here, we present a simple, reliable and fast method for the analysis of detergent containing buffer systems. It enables the determination of CMC values and aggregation numbers of detergents as well as detergent mixtures in a 96well plate standard device relying on steady state fluorescence and fluorescence quenching. To prove the general applicability of our approach, we analyzed DDM as a prime example of a detergent and mixtures of DDM with six other detergents at different ratios to demonstrate the potential of our method.

source:

Journal： Advances in Chemical Engineering and Science
DOI: 10.4236/aces.2015.53034 (PDF)
Paper Id: 57810 (metadata)

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Cats Infected by Feline Leukemia Virus—Morpho-Quantitative Evaluation of the Thymus| BLOG – Scientific Research Publishing

Cats Infected by Feline Leukemia Virus—Morpho-Quantitative Evaluation of the Thymus| BLOG – Scientific Research Publishing

Author(s)： Flávia Azevedo Cavalcanti de Melo, Anna Clara dos Santos, Kaique Nogueira, André Rodrigues da Cunha Barreto-Vianna, Eduardo Maurício Mendes de Lima

ABSTRACT
The feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a complex disease that affects mainly the immune and hematological systems of cats. And because the thymus was closely associated with the immune system, the aim of this study was to quantify the morphological changes in the thymus of naturally infected and uninfected animals. Thymus morphological changes were evaluated by quantifying the following parameters: thymocytes, fat tissue, thymic corpuscles, connective tissue, and type I and III collagen. This study analyzed a total of seven cats, five in the negative group (Fn) and two in the positive (Fp) group. The areas occupied by thymocytes in FeLV negative (Fn) and positive (Fp) animals were, respectively, 55.16% ± 6.15% and 44.81% ± 6.15% (p = 0.39); adipocytes, 42.14% ± 5.97% (Fn) and 53.42% ± 11.3% (Fp) (p = 0.34); blood vessels, 0.85% ± 0.24% (Fn) and 1.75% ± 0.52% (Fp) (p = 0.15). Whereas thymic corpuscles occupied an area of 0.68% ± 0.19% in negative animals (Fn) only. The connective tissue covered area varied between 12.05% ± 0.68% (Fn) and 10.34% ± 0.62% (Fp) (p = 0.009). Collagen type I (p = 0.30) and type III (p = 0.59) were present in, respectively, 1.73% ± 0.3% and 0.44% ± 0.09% in Fn, and 1.44% ± 0.36 and 0.44% ± 0.13% in Fp. The FeLV virus was not able to completely modify the thymus structure of infected animals, considering the areas occupied by thymocytes, adipose tissue, blood vessels and also type I and III collagens. However, the connective tissue underwent a certain degree of remodeling since less connective tissue area was observed in FeLV infected animals. The absence of thymic corpuscles in immunosuppressed animals suggests a possible connection to thymopoiesis.

source:

Journal： Open Journal of Animal Sciences
DOI: 10.4236/ojas.2015.53032 (PDF)
Paper Id: 57747 (metadata)

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