Effect of intramammary infection on milk electrical conductivity in Murciano-Granadina goats

Measurements of electrical conductivity (EC) of milk are used in mastitis detection in cows due to the low cost, possibility of automation, and rapid diagnosis, but the literature about EC measurement in goats is scarce. In this study, we studied the effect of the establishment of intramammary infection (IMI) on EC of goat milk by gland using daily measurements. Additionally, the effects on milk yield, somatic cell count (SCC), and mineral content were analyzed. Eight primiparous and 10 multiparous Murciano-Granadina goats free from IMI were included in the study. Health conditions of the participating animals were monitored for 16 d and then various unfavorable health situations that may arise on commercial farms were simulated to increase the chances of IMI. Once the IMI was confirmed, the experiment continued for another 16 d. Statistical analysis was conducted using a linear mixed model considering several periods regarding the establishment of the infection and whether it affected one or both glands in the animal. The establishment of IMI caused a significant increase of EC, SCC, and chlorides in the infected glands, whereas the sodium:potassium ratio and the ratio of EC between collateral glands showed significant increases only in bilaterally infected animals. The microorganisms that caused greater increases of EC were Staphylococcus aureus and a gram-negative bacterium. Changes due to other isolated microorganisms (coagulase-negative staphylococci and streptococci) were small. No significant differences in milk yield were determined. The significant effect of infection on EC in the affected glands suggests that the use of a system based on daily readings of EC could be useful in IMI detection of goats.

Lipid/Polyelectrolyte coatings to control carbon nanotubes intracellular distribution

Carbon Nanotubes have been functionalized with a layer of poly (sulfopropyl methacrylate) synthesized from silane initiators attached to the walls of the Carbon nanotubes. On top of the poly sulfo propyl methacrylate, lipid vesicles composed of 75% 1,2-Dioleoyl-sn-Glycero-3-Phosphocholine and 25% 1,2-Dioleoyl-sn-Glycero-3-[Phospho-L-Serine] were assembled. The surface modification of the Carbon Nanotubes and lipid assembly were followed by TEM. Confocal Raman Microscopy was used to study the uptake and localization of the surface modified Carbon Nanotubes in the HepG2 cell line. The localization of the Carbon Nanotubes in the cells was affected by the surface coating. It was found that poly (sulfopropyl methacrylate) and lipid modified Carbon Nanotubes were present in the region of the lipid bodies in the cytoplasm.

Ultrafast quantum gates in circuit QED

We present a method to implement ultrafast two-qubit gates valid for the ultrastrong coupling and deep strong coupling regimes of light-matter interaction, considering state-of-the-art circuit quantum electrodynamics technology. Our proposal includes a suitable qubit architecture and is based on a four-step sequential displacement of the intracavity field, operating at a time proportional to the inverse of the resonator frequency. Through ab initio calculations, we show that these quantum gates can be performed at subnanosecond time scales while keeping a fidelity above 99%.

Analysis of the influence of variation factors on electrical conductivity of milk in Murciano-Granadina goats

The aim of this study was to obtain further knowledge on electrical conductivity (EC) of milk as a tool for detecting mastitis in goats. The effect of farm, parity, stage of lactation, and health status of the glands on EC, and the somatic cell count (SCC) of milk was analyzed. Additionally, relationships between EC and chemical composition and SCC were studied. Finally, characteristics of EC and SCC (sensitivity and specificity) as diagnostic tests used to detect mastitis were studied. One hundred and five Murciano-Granadina goats were enrolled in the study. Milk samples (by gland) were collected monthly for 7 mo on 3 farms in the southeastern Spain. To establish the health status, milk samples were aseptically collected before milking by gland. Foremilk (by gland) was collected to analyze EC, SCC, and chemical composition. Glands were classified according to the health status as free of mastitis, bacterial mastitis, or unspecific mastitis. The effects of farm, parity, and stage of lactation, as well as the interactions between health status and parity, parity and stage of lactation, and health status and stage of lactation were associated with EC. Changes in the milk's chemical composition (particularly of chloride ions) explained most of the variance in EC (R(2)=0.91). The strongest association between EC and SCC was found at SCC >2×10(6) cells/mL (r=0.42). The use of a single EC threshold for all animals and farms for detecting mastitis led to limited results for mastitis detection, which, in any case, favors negative predictive values over positive predictive values. This study revealed that factors, other than the health status, affecting EC hamper the use of an EC threshold for mastitis detection with sufficient specificity on all animals. Any detection system based on EC of milk should consider these factors, as well as specific variations for each of the animals.

Deep strong coupling regime of the Jaynes-Cummings model

We study the quantum dynamics of a two-level system interacting with a quantized harmonic oscillator in the deep strong coupling regime (DSC) of the Jaynes-Cummings model, that is, when the coupling strength g is comparable or larger than the oscillator frequency ω (g/ω≳1). In this case, the rotating-wave approximation cannot be applied or treated perturbatively in general. We propose an intuitive and predictive physical frame to describe the DSC regime where photon number wave packets bounce back and forth along parity chains of the Hilbert space, while producing collapse and revivals of the initial population. We exemplify our physical frame with numerical and analytical considerations in the qubit population, photon statistics, and Wigner phase space.

Reconstrucción nasal con cartílago costal de banco de hueso

Reporte de diez pacientes con deformidad rinoseptal con distintas etiologías: traumáticas, infecciosas y quirúrgicas. La obstrucción nasal fue el principal síntoma, además de la deformidad estética. Todos acudieron a la consulta externa de otorrinolaringología del Hospital de San José de Bogotá DC. Se realizó reconstrucción nasal con cartílago costal de banco de hueso mediante técnica abierta. El seguimiento mínimo fue de siete meses y el máximo de dieciséis. Se evaluaron con registro fotográfico pre y posquirúrgico. No hubo infección del sitio operatorio ni extrusión del injerto. Las mejorías funcional y estética fueron evaluadas por la satisfacción del paciente y del cirujano como buenas o excelentes. La aplicabilidad de la técnica mostró buenos resultados en diferentes grupos etarios y etiológicos.

Pilot study: Gelafundin (polygeline) 4% plus antibiotics in the treatment of high-risk cirrhotic patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

BACKGROUND

Cirrhotic patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) have elevated rates of renal impairment and mortality. It has been shown that cefotaxime plus albumin infusion decrease renal impairment compared with antibiotic treatment alone, in patients with serum bilirubin >4 mg/dL or creatinine >1 mg/dL.

AIM

To assess clinical outcomes of high-risk cirrhotic patients with SBP who were treated with antibiotics associated with Gelafundin (polygeline) 4%.

METHODS

Twenty nine cirrhotic patients with SBP and serum bilirubin >4 mg/dL or creatinine >1 mg/dL were enrolled. Ceftriaxone was administered in doses of 2 g/day and Gelafundin 4% was given intravenously at 1.5 g/kg of body weight at the time of the diagnosis, followed by 1 g/kg on day 3. Renal impairment was defined as nonreversible deterioration of renal function during hospitalization.

RESULTS

Eight patients (27.5%) had basal renal failure. Infection resolved in 28 (96.6%) patients. Renal impairment occurred in four patients (13.8%), and three patients (10.4%) died during hospitalization. Mortality within 90 days after discharge was 34.5% (10 patients).

CONCLUSION

The rates of renal impairment and mortality in high-risk patients with SBP suggest that Gelafundin 4% administration given with ceftriaxone may be a less expensive therapeutic alternative to albumin.

Recuperación de parálisis facial idiopática: ¿Prednisolona o prednisolona/aciclovir?

En la literatura hay discrepancia acerca del tratamiento de la parálisis facial idiopática. No existe suficiente evidencia que soporte la asociación de un antiviral con corticoide sistémico; sin embargo, su uso es frecuente en la práctica clínica justificado por la posible etiología viral. Objetivo: describir la frecuencia de recuperación completa en quienes reciben prednisolona o prednisolona/aciclovir. Métodos: estudio de cohorte histórica identificando los casos de parálisis facial periférica diagnosticados entre enero 2005 y enero 2009 mediante registros del servicio de otorrinolaringología. Se describe la clasificación de la parálisis al momento del diagnóstico con escala de House Brackman. Resultados: se analizaron 106 casos, 59 mujeres (55,7%) y 47 hombres (44,3%), con edad promedio 36.9 años (DE 16.7). Al ingreso el 47,2% de los pacientes presentaron parálisis grado III. Recibieron prednisolona 32 (30,2%) y prednisolona-aciclovir 74 (69,8%). La recuperación completa (House Brackman I) se documentó en 23 (71,9%) con prednisolona y 52 (70,2%) con prednisolona/aciclovir. El seguimiento mediano fue 39 días. En ambos grupos la frecuencia de mejoría fue mayor en quienes ingresaron con grados II y III. Conclusión: la tasa de mejoría es superior a la descrita con el uso de placebo, pero por debajo de lo esperado con prednisolona a tres meses. La frecuencia de recuperación completa fue similar en ambos grupos. Los datos no son comparables con otras publicaciones por el corto tiempo de seguimiento.

Microwave photon detector in circuit QED

In this Letter we design a metamaterial composed of discrete superconducting elements that implements a high-efficiency microwave photon detector. Our design consists of a microwave guide coupled to an array of metastable quantum circuits, whose internal states are irreversibly changed due to the absorption of photons. This proposal can be widely applied to different physical systems and can be generalized to implement a microwave photon counter.

Serum creatinine and bilirubin predict renal failure and mortality in patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) are at a high risk for renal failure and death despite successful treatment of infection. Intravenous (IV) albumin administration combined with antibiotic treatment has been shown to significantly decrease these risks. Clinical evidence is lacking on which patients are appropriate candidates for albumin treatment.

AIM

To retrospectively analyse the usefulness of serum creatinine and bilirubin levels in predicting renal failure and mortality of patients hospitalized for SBP.

METHODS

Between March 1995 and September 1998, 127 cirrhotic patients with SBP who had not received plasma expansion were evaluated. Eighty-one patients (64%) were classified as having a high risk for renal failure and mortality (serum bilirubin >4 mg/dl or serum creatinine >1 mg/dl) and 46 (36%) as having a low risk.

RESULTS

At admission, 36.3% of all patients presented renal failure. Mortality during their hospitalization was 23% among those with a high risk and 6.5% among those with a low risk (P=0.01). Renal failure occurred in 23% of the high-risk patients, compared with 2.6% of the low-risk patients (P=0.006). The presence of hyponatraemia was significantly associated with higher mortality and renal failure in the high-risk group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our retrospective review of patients with SBP suggests that serum bilirubin levels >4 mg and serum creatinine levels >1 mg/dl at the time of diagnosis represent significant risk factors for the clinical outcomes of patients with SBP. Patients without these risk factors may have a very low likelihood of death or renal failure.

[Telemedicine and teledermatology (II): current state of research on dermatology teleconsultations]

The rapid increase in the use of telemedicine makes a critical appraisal of these services essential. This article reviews the current evidence from studies of teledermatology with sufficiently rigorous methodology to allow reasonable conclusions to be drawn. The review is organized according to areas of research in teledermatology: reliability of diagnosis and management, accuracy, outcomes, costs, and satisfaction. The conclusion of this review is that teledermatology has been shown to be feasible and reliable but that it has a long way to go before maturing as a medical technology in daily practice. The largest body of evidence relates to the reliability of diagnosis and management, but although numerous studies have been performed, many have marked methodological shortcomings. Accuracy studies have been conducted in skin oncology with appropriate methodology that show an accuracy comparable to that of face-to-face consultations. Studies of health outcomes should be designed such that a faithful assessment of the final outcomes, costs, and satisfaction with teledermatology systems can be carried out.

[Telemedicine and teledermatology (I): concepts and applications]

Telemedicine refers to the use of telecommunications technology to provide health care and medical information. The practice of medicine--and dermatology in particular--is undergoing a great upheaval due to advances in information technology. This article briefly reviews the origin, development, applications, benefits, methodology, and components of telemedicine. Specifically, we will analyze the types and applications of teledermatology, paying particular attention to technical, organizational, and legal aspects.