Antibiograms of Gut Flora of Poultry Farms Workers Reveal Higher Resistance Levels as Compared to Non-Workers

Introduction

Antibiotics are being used in humans and animals for treatment and control of bacterial infections. Excessive use of antibiotics in the production of poultry is a popular practice, but it poses serious health issues by transferring resistance from farm to humans via food or direct exposure.

Study Objective

The objective of this study was to carry out a comparison of the resistance and sensitivity profile of isolated isolates from sewage of toilets that were in use of workers inside the farm and from sewage of household toilets.

Methodology

In this study, a total of 320 sewage samples were collected. The antibiotic susceptibility profile was checked by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method, and the statistical analysis was carried out by MS excel. Chi-square test was performed to determine whether the antibiograms from two sample types were statistically different from each other or not.

Results

From 320 sewage samples, a total of 296 bacterial isolates were isolated among which the leading bacterium was E. coli. The proportion of resistance, ESBL production and MDR was significantly higher in bacteria isolated from sewage of toilets under use of poultry farm workers as compared to the sewage from domestic use toilets.

Conclusion

Resistance significantly increased in the bacteria isolated from toilets under use of poultry farm workers as compared to the ones isolated from control sewage samples.

An antimicrobial activity of oil extracted from Saara hardwickii

Present research work represents antiviral and antibacterial value of body fat of Saara hardwickii commonly called as spiny tailed lizard. Oil was extracted from body fats located in the ventral region of this animal using hydrocarbons e.g., n-hexane, methanol, butanol and ethyl acetate as a solvent. The antibacterial activity of lizard oil was tested against standard as well as multi-resistant lines ofEscherichia coli, Styphalococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus vulgaris alone and with antibiotic ampicillin. For antibacterial potential, Ethyl acetate and Butanol solvent extract showed best zone of inhibition (7mm) with P. aeruginosa and S. aureus respectively. For antiviral potential, Butanol and Methanol extract showed best HA (Hemagglutination) titer of 04 with NDV and IBV viral strain respectively. It is concluded that lizard oil has antimicrobial potential against different pathogens strains (virus, bacteria).

Investigations on Acinetophage, QAB 3.4, Targeting Extensively Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Isolates

Purpose

Drug resistance against antimicrobials is on the rise at alarmingly high rates. Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the six ESKAPE pathogens which are a significant "one health" issue. Clinical isolates of A. baumannii exhibit MDR phenotype mostly and infrequently the XDR and PDR phenotype. As a result, these infections have one of the highest mortality rates in hospitals. Alternative therapies are urgently needed.

Methods

Various phages were enriched against XDR clinical strain of A. baumannii. A potent phage, QAB 3.4, was further tested against 100 clinical strains. Because of its broad lytic activity, it was further tested for stability, resistance development and as an infection control agent.

Results

Phage QAB 3.4 showed broad lytic activity against 100 MDR and XDR clinical isolates representing a wide diversity of infection sites. Assays conducted to document the phage's stability, and ability of clinical isolates to develop resistance against it, showed promising outcomes for its potential use in clinical applications. Phage QAB 3.4 was able to eradicate A. baumannii from pre-inoculated solid surfaces. It provides a proof of concept that phages can be used as environmentally friendly infection control agents.

Conclusion

We propose the phage QAB 3.4 is a promising candidate for further pre-clinical and clinical studies to test its biosafety and efficacy.

Exogenous application of bio-stimulant and growth retardant improved the productivity of cotton cultivars under different planting arrangement

Optimum planting arrangement is an important attribute for efficient utilization of available resources and to obtain high yield of cotton. Application of plant growth promoter and retardant on cotton in improved planting density are the innovative techniques in the establishment of more productive cotton crop. Therefore, we planned a field study to assess the role of bio-stimulant and growth retardant in the resource utilization efficiency of cotton cultivars planted under variable row spacing at Agronomic Research Area Bahauddin Zakariya University and Usmania Agricultural Farm Shujabad during Kharif 2012. Experimental treatments consisted of cotton genotypes viz. CIM-573 and CIM-598, cultivated under conventional (75 cm), medium (50 cm) and ultra-narrow row spacing (25 cm) with foliar spray of bio-stimulant (moringa leaf extract) and growth retardant (mepiquate chloride), either sole or in combination, keeping distilled water as a control. Exogenously applied MLE alone and MLE + MC significantly enhanced the number of squares, flowers and green bolls per plant leading to higher cotton seed and lint yield of CIM 598 cultivar cultivated under conventional row spacing. While application of MC alone and MLE + MC produced maximum micronaire value, fiber strength and fiber uniformity ratio of CIM 573 cultivar cultivated under conventional row spacing. The results suggested that application of MLE is a possible approach to enhance the cotton productivity and the use of MC to enhance the fiber quality attributes under conventional row spacing.

560 A Rare Case Report of Cartilaginous Choristoma In Base of Tongue

Introduction

Choristomas are rare, benign, tumour-like growths with histologically normal morphology in an ectopic location. Choristomas can constitute of various tissue types including cartilage, bone and muscle. Chondroid tissue choristomas are referred to as cartilaginous choristomas.

Case Presentation:

A 69 year old gentleman presented with three weeks’ history of foreign body sensation in his throat. No other red flag symptoms were present. Fine nasal endoscopy was unremarkable. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan revealed mild bilateral prominence of the lingual tonsils. Patient underwent Panednoscopy and biopsy. This confirmed the presence of a cartilaginous choristoma in base of tongue.

Discussion:

This is a rare case of cartilaginous choristoma in base of tongue. It was investigated as per potential head and neck cancers. The majority of previous cases in the literature were managed using surgical resection of the lesion. In this particular case, the patient was discussed in multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting and managed conservatively due to the benign nature of the lesion and symptoms.

Conclusions

Cartilaginous choristomas are rare benign lesions, which can present similarly to malignant head and neck tumours. Their size and symptoms should be carefully considered before management. There is a role for conservative management in select cases.

666 Innovations in ENT Surgery During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2), is responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID – 19) global pandemic. Similar coronavirus epidemics over the past years affected healthcare workers significantly. Aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) presented a unique risk to ear, nose and throat (ENT) Surgeons. We introduce various methods of reducing risk in ENT AGPs.

Recommendations

During trachesostomies we advocate the adoption of a specialist checklist based on ENT UK guidelines.

We also advise the use of a clear drape to create a clear barrier between the patient and staff.

For ear surgery we advise suturing 2 microscope pieces together end-to-end so that a clear drape can sperate the patient from surgeon.

During nasal and sinus surgery, we advise attaching a clear drape to the sterile camera drape used in rigid nasal endoscopy to create a barrier between patient and surgeon.

Discussion

Our recommendations will create an extra barrier between the patient and the rest of healthcare team. This should reduce the risks to theatre staff from AGPs.

Conclusions

COVID 19 is a serious health issue affecting healthcare workers, especially during AGPs in ENT surgery. We recommend several techniques to reduce risk. These can also be used during future epidemics.

711 Atypical Presentation of a Ruptured Thyroid Cyst

Introduction

Thyroid cysts are a common finding with the bulk of cases being benign and approximately only 5% being malignant. The majority of these cysts are managed conservatively in the absence of malignancy or compressive symptoms.

Case

presentation

D

iscussion

Conclusion

Development of a novel thermoacoustic flue-gas analyzer

Flue gas analyzers, such as those based on electrochemical cells and infrared sensors, are commonly used to determine the molar concentrations of the different species of flue-gas mixtures and provide information about the associated air-fuel ratio and the resulting combustion efficiency. Here, a new methodology for quaternary-gas analysis that relies on thermoacoustic technology is described for the determination of the composition of typical mixtures of flue gases [A. I. Abd El-Rahman et al., “Thermoacoustic flue-gas analyzer,” EG Patent: International Application No. PCT/EG2020/0000029 (September 23, 2020)]. The hot flue-gas mixtures resulting from the combustion of high-carbon bituminous coal and low-carbon natural gas are allowed to fill in the resonator of an optimized half-wavelength thermoacoustic engine at TH = 900 °C. Under controlled cooling, spontaneous gas–particle oscillations appear at distinct values of resonance frequencies and onset temperature gradients that particularly depend on the molar concentrations of the quaternary-gas components (CO2, CO, O2, and N2) of the introduced samples. Operational ternary diagrams along with respective sensitivity profiles are discussed in detail.

Determination of antimicrobial effect of protamine by transmission electron microscopy and SDS PAGE on Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from diabetic foot infection

Objective(s):

Diabetic foot infection is one of the major complications of diabetes leading to lower limb amputations. Isolation and identification of bacteria causing diabetic foot infection, determination of antibiotic resistance, antimicrobial potential of protamine by electron microscopy and SDS-PAGE analysis, arethe aims of this study.

Materials and Methods:

285 pus samples from diabetic foot infection patients were collected from different hospitals of Karachi and Capital Health Hospital, Halifax, Canada. Clinical history of each patient was recorded. Bacterial isolates were cultured on appropriate media; identification was done by morphology, cultural and biochemical tests. Effect of protamine against multi drug resistant strains of Pseudomona aeruginosa was checked by minimum inhibitory concentration in 96 well micro-titer plates. The isolates were grown in bactericidal concentration of protamine on plates to isolate mutants. Effect of protamine on protein expression was checked by SDS- PAGE and ultra-structural morphological changes by transmission electron microscopy.

Results:

Results indicated prevalence of foot infection as 92% in diabetic patients. Major bacterial isolates were Staphylococcus aureus 65 (23%), P. aeruginosa 80 (28.1%), Klebsiella spp. 37 (13%), Proteus mirabilis 79 (27.7%), and Escherichia coli 24 (12%). These isolates were highly resistant to different antibiotics. MIC value of protamine was 500 µg/ml against P. aeruginosa. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that protamine can suppress expression of various virulence proteins and electron micrographs indicated condensation of cytoplasm and accumulation of protamine in cytoplasm without damaging the cell membrane.

Conclusion:

P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were the major isolates expressing multi-drug resistance and protamine sulfate represented good antimicrobial potential.

A QSAR model for predicting antidiabetic activity of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitors by enhanced binary gravitational search algorithm

Time-varying binary gravitational search algorithm (TVBGSA) is proposed for predicting antidiabetic activity of 134 dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors. To improve the performance of the binary gravitational search algorithm (BGSA) method, we propose a dynamic time-varying transfer function. A new control parameter, μ , is added in the original transfer function as a time-varying variable. The TVBGSA-based model was internally and externally validated based on Qint2 , QLGO2 , QBoot2 , MSEtrain , Qext2 , MSEtest , Y-randomization test, and applicability domain evaluation. The validation results indicate that the proposed TVBGSA model is robust and not due to chance correlation. The descriptor selection and prediction performance of TVBGSA outperform BGSA method. TVBGSA shows higher Qint2 of 0.957, QLGO2 of 0.951, QBoot2 of 0.954, Qext2 of 0.938, and lower MSEtrain and MSEtest compared to obtained results by BGSA, indicating the best prediction performance of the proposed TVBGSA model. The results clearly reveal that the proposed TVBGSA method is useful for constructing reliable and robust QSARs for predicting antidiabetic activity of DPP-IV inhibitors prior to designing and experimental synthesizing of new DPP-IV inhibitors.

QSAR classification model for diverse series of antifungal agents based on improved binary differential search algorithm

An improved binary differential search (improved BDS) algorithm is proposed for QSAR classification of diverse series of antimicrobial compounds against Candida albicans inhibitors. The transfer functions is the most important component of the BDS algorithm, and converts continuous values of the donor into discrete values. In this paper, the eight types of transfer functions are investigated to verify their efficiency in improving BDS algorithm performance in QSAR classification. The performance was evaluated using three metrics: classification accuracy (CA), geometric mean of sensitivity and specificity (G-mean), and area under the curve. The Kruskal-Wallis test was also applied to show the statistical differences between the functions. Two functions, S1 and V4, show the best classification achievement, with a slightly better performance of V4 than S1. The V4 function takes the lowest iterations and selects the fewest descriptors. In addition, the V4 function yields the best CA and G-mean of 98.07% and 0.977%, respectively. The results prove that the V4 transfer function significantly improves the performance of the original BDS.

Separating normosmic and anosmic patients based on entropy evaluation of olfactory event-related potentials

OBJECTIVE

Methods based on electroencephalography (EEG) are used to evaluate brain responses to odors which is challenging due to the relatively low signal-to-noise ratio. This is especially difficult in patients with olfactory loss. In the present study, we aim to establish a method to separate functionally anosmic and normosmic individuals by means of recordings of olfactory event-related potentials (OERP) using an automated tool. Therefore, Shannon entropy was adopted to examine the complexity of the averaged electrophysiological responses.

METHODS

A total of 102 participants received 60 rose-like odorous stimuli at an inter-stimulus interval of 10 s. Olfactory-related brain activity was investigated within three time-windows of equal length; pre-, during-, and post-stimulus.

RESULTS

Based on entropy analysis, patients were correctly diagnosed for anosmia with a 75% success rate.

CONCLUSION

This novel approach can be expected to help clinicians to identify patients with anosmia or patients with early symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders.

SIGNIFICANCE

There is no automated diagnostic tool for anosmic and normosmic patients using OERP. However, detectability of OERP in patients with functional anosmia has been reported to be in the range of 50%.

A penalized quantitative structure-property relationship study on melting point of energetic carbocyclic nitroaromatic compounds using adaptive bridge penalty

A penalized quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) model with adaptive bridge penalty for predicting the melting points of 92 energetic carbocyclic nitroaromatic compounds is proposed. To ensure the consistency of the descriptor selection of the proposed penalized adaptive bridge (PBridge), we proposed a ridge estimator ([Formula: see text]) as an initial weight in the adaptive bridge penalty. The Bayesian information criterion was applied to ensure the accurate selection of the tuning parameter ([Formula: see text]). The PBridge based model was internally and externally validated based on [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], the Y-randomization test, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and the applicability domain. The validation results indicate that the model is robust and not due to chance correlation. The descriptor selection and prediction performance of PBridge for the training dataset outperforms the other methods used. PBridge shows the highest [Formula: see text] of 0.959, [Formula: see text] of 0.953, [Formula: see text] of 0.949 and [Formula: see text] of 0.959, and the lowest [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. For the test dataset, PBridge shows a higher [Formula: see text] of 0.945 and [Formula: see text] of 0.948, and a lower [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], indicating its better prediction performance. The results clearly reveal that the proposed PBridge is useful for constructing reliable and robust QSPRs for predicting melting points prior to synthesizing new organic compounds.

A sparse QSRR model for predicting retention indices of essential oils based on robust screening approach

A robust screening approach and a sparse quantitative structure-retention relationship (QSRR) model for predicting retention indices (RIs) of 169 constituents of essential oils is proposed. The proposed approach is represented in two steps. First, dimension reduction was performed using the proposed modified robust sure independence screening (MR-SIS) method. Second, prediction of RIs was made using the proposed robust sparse QSRR with smoothly clipped absolute deviation (SCAD) penalty (RSQSRR). The RSQSRR model was internally and externally validated based on [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], Y-randomization test, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and the applicability domain. The validation results indicate that the model is robust and not due to chance correlation. The descriptor selection and prediction performance of the RSQSRR for training dataset outperform the other two used modelling methods. The RSQSRR shows the highest [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text], and the lowest [Formula: see text]. For the test dataset, the RSQSRR shows a high external validation value ([Formula: see text]), and a low value of [Formula: see text] compared with the other methods, indicating its higher predictive ability. In conclusion, the results reveal that the proposed RSQSRR is an efficient approach for modelling high dimensional QSRRs and the method is useful for the estimation of RIs of essential oils that have not been experimentally tested.

Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy in the elderly: experience from a UK centre

BACKGROUND Gastric cancer has a high incidence in the elderly in the UK, with a significant number of patients aged 75 years or more. While surgery forms the mainstay of treatment, evidence pertaining to the management of gastric cancer in the Western population in this age group is scarce. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of laparoscopy-assisted total and distal gastrectomies at our centre from 2005 to 2015. Patients aged 70 years or above were included in the elderly group. RESULTS A total of 60 patients underwent laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy over a 10-year period, with a predominance of male patients. There was no significant difference in the rate of overall surgical and non-surgical complications, in-hospital mortality, operation time and length of hospital stay, between the elderly and non-elderly groups. Univariate analysis, performed for risk factors relating to anastomotic leak and surgical complications, showed that age over 70 years and higher American Association of Anesthesiologists grades are associated with a higher, though not statistically significant, number of anastomotic leaks (P = 1.000 and P = 0.442, respectively) and surgical complications (P = 0.469 and P = 0.162, respectively). The recurrence rate within the first 3 years of surgery was significantly higher in the non-elderly group compared with the elderly group (Log Rank test, P = 0.002). There was no significant difference in survival between the two groups (Log Rank test, P = 0.619). CONCLUSIONS Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy is safe and feasible in an elderly population. There is a need for well-designed, prospective, randomised studies with quality of life data to inform our practice in future.

High-dimensional QSAR modelling using penalized linear regression model with L1/2-norm

In high-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modelling, penalization methods have been a popular choice to simultaneously address molecular descriptor selection and QSAR model estimation. In this study, a penalized linear regression model with L1/2-norm is proposed. Furthermore, the local linear approximation algorithm is utilized to avoid the non-convexity of the proposed method. The potential applicability of the proposed method is tested on several benchmark data sets. Compared with other commonly used penalized methods, the proposed method can not only obtain the best predictive ability, but also provide an easily interpretable QSAR model. In addition, it is noteworthy that the results obtained in terms of applicability domain and Y-randomization test provide an efficient and a robust QSAR model. It is evident from the results that the proposed method may possibly be a promising penalized method in the field of computational chemistry research, especially when the number of molecular descriptors exceeds the number of compounds.

Management of anterior caliceal stones >15 mm

Anterior caliceal stones represent a challenge to endourologist to select the best modality of management with the least morbidity. To study different treatment modalities of management of anterior caliceal stones >15 mm. It is an observational prospective study of patients with anterior caliceal stones more than 15 mm. Inclusion criteria were patients with isolated anterior caliceal stones, or branched anterior caliceal stones with posterior caliceal extension. Patients were evaluated using non-contrast CT preoperatively. They were divided into three groups: group 1 underwent PCNL through posterior caliceal puncture in cases with wide anterior calyx infundibulum or obtuse infundibulopelvic pelvic, group 2 underwent PCNL through anterior caliceal access in cases with narrow infundibulum or acute infundibulopelvic angel and group 3 underwent flexible ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy. Intraoperative and postoperative findings were recorded and compared. Eighty eight patients were included in this study, Group 1 (44 patients) group 2 (28 patients), and group 3 (16 patients). Operative time was not significantly different across the three groups (68 ± 11.5, 72 ± 9 and 74 ± 11 min in group 1, 2 and 3, respectively, P = 0.053). Fluoroscopy time was significantly shorter for group 3 (2 ± 0.5 m, P = 0.0001) compared to group 1 and 2 (5.6 ± 4.6 and 4.5 ± 1.4 min), respectively. There were no significant differences in stone-free rates after initial treatment between the three groups; 84, 82, and 69 %, in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively (P = 0.4). Postoperative hemoglobin drop was noted to be highest for group 2 and lowest for group 3 which was significantly different (1.7 ± 0.8, 2.2 ± 1.1, and 0.3 ± 0.3 g/dl, for patients in groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively, P = 0.0001). Group 2 showed the highest post-operative complication rate (21 %) in comparison to group 1 (11 %) and group 3 (6 %), however, differences were not statistically significant (P = 0.3). PCNL through posterior or anterior caliceal puncture is an excellent modality to treat anterior caliceal stones with high stone clearance rate. Despite the higher chance of bleeding with anterior caliceal puncture, it is still inevitably needed in difficult anterior caliceal stones with unfavorable anatomy. RIRS is a good alternative to PCNL with the advantage of less radiation exposure and less bleeding.

Recovery of Schistosoma haematobium ovum from Labeo rohita: first report from Pakistan

Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, is a parasitic disease caused by trematodes from the genus Schistosoma that can infect humans and animals. S. mansoni, S. japonicum, and S. mekongi all causes intestinal schistosomiasis except S. haematobium that causes urinary schistosomiasis. It is only specie which effects urinary system, it can affect liver, heart, lungs also but very rarely. Schistosoma haematobium is endemic to over 50 countries in Africa and the Middle East and Western Asia and may be fatal in HIV positive people. A number of reports from the African countries like Nigeria have been reported. A few cases are reported but in Pakistan it has never been reported before in native people. It is first time reported in Pakistan in the intestine of Rahu (Labeo rohita). The purpose of this study is to elaborate the approach of zoonotic agent by various other routes including the commonly available fish.

Analysis of a homogenous and heterogeneous stylized half core of a CANDU reactor

The MCNPX (Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code System) code has been used for modeling and simulation of a half core of CANDU (CANada Deuterium-Uranium) reactor, both homogenous and heterogeneous model for the reactor core are designed. The fuel is burnt in normal operation conditions of CANDU reactors. Natural uranium fuel is used in the model. The multiplication factor for homogeneous and heterogeneous reactor core is calculated and compared during fuel burnup. The concentration of both uranium and plutonium isotopes are analysed in the model. The flux and power distributions through channels are calculated.

Energy availability and the female athlete triad in elite endurance athletes

The female athlete triad (Triad), links low energy availability (EA), with menstrual dysfunction (MD), and impaired bone health. The aims of this study were to examine associations between EA/MD and energy metabolism and the prevalence of Triad-associated conditions in endurance athletes. Forty women [26.2 ± 5.5 years, body mass index (BMI) 20.6 ± 2.0 kg/m(2), body fat 20.0 ± 3.0%], exercising 11.4 ± 4.5 h/week, were recruited from national teams and competitive clubs. Protocol included gynecological examination; assessment of bone health; indirect respiratory calorimetry; diet and exercise measured 7 days to assess EA; eating disorder (ED) examination; blood analysis. Subjects with low/reduced EA (< 45 kcal/kg FFM/day), had lower resting metabolic rate (RMR) compared with those with optimal EA [28.4 ± 2.0 kcal/kg fat-free mass (FFM)/day vs 30.5 ± 2.2 kcal/kg FFM/day, P < 0.01], as did subjects with MD compared with eumenorrheic subjects (28.6 ± 2.4 kcal/kg FFM/day vs 30.2 ± 1.8 kcal/kg FFM/day, P < 0.05). 63% had low/reduced EA, 25% ED, 60% MD, 45% impaired bone health, and 23% had all three Triad conditions. 53% had low RMR, 25% hypercholesterolemia, and 38% hypoglycemia. Conclusively, athletes with low/reduced EA and/or MD had lowered RMR. Triad-associated conditions were common in this group of athletes, despite a normal BMI range. The high prevalence of ED, MD, and impaired bone health emphasizes the importance of prevention, early detection, and treatment of energy deficiency.

Polycystic ovary syndrome and low-grade inflammation with special reference to YKL-40

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the plasma level of YKL-40 in a Danish polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) population and to investigate whether YKL-40 is associated with CVD risk factors such as waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), insulin resistance (IR), fasting glucose, fasting insulin, blood lipids and CRP.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Gynecological clinics at three Danish University Hospitals.

PATIENTS

One hundred seventy-one premenopausal women with PCOS recruited consecutively from April 2010 to February 2012. PCOS was diagnosed according to the Rotterdam criteria.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Plasma level of YKL-40 in four phenotypes of PCOS defined by BMI and IR.

RESULTS

No statistically significant difference was observed in the plasma level of YKL-40 across the four BMI/IR-phenotypes. Positive associations were observed between YKL-40 and BMI, total and free testosterone, triglycerides, and CRP. Total and free testosterone were independent predictors of YKL-40.

CONCLUSION

YKL-40, the marker of low-grade inflammation is not increased in women with PCOS.

Providers' lack of knowledge about herpes zoster in HIV-infected patients is among barriers to herpes zoster vaccination

Identification of perceptions about herpes zoster (HZ) disease, vaccine effectiveness and safety, and vaccine recommendations may impact immunization practices of physicians for HIV-infected patients. A survey was used to quantify knowledge of HZ as well as determine physician immunization perceptions and practices. There were 272/1700 respondents (16%). Correct answers for the incidence of varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection in adults and incidence of HZ in HIV-infected patients were recorded by 14% and 10% of providers, respectively. Providers reported poor knowledge of the incidence of disease recurrence in HIV-infected patients (41% correct), potency of HZ vaccine (47.5% correct) and mechanism of protection against reactivation of VZV (66% correct). Most (88%) agreed that HZ was a serious disease, and 73% believed that the burden of disease made vaccination important. A majority (75%) did not vaccinate HIV patients with HZ vaccine regardless of antiretroviral therapy status. Barriers to administration included safety concerns, concern that vaccine would not prevent HZ, risk of HZ dissemination, reimbursement issues and lack of Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines. Only 38% of providers agreed that CDC guidelines were clear and 50% believed that clinical trials were needed prior to use of HZ vaccine in HIV-infected patients. Education about HZ is needed among HIV providers. Providers perceived vaccination as important, but data on vaccine safety and clear guidance from the CDC on this issue are lacking.

Neutronic calculations for the new fuel configuration of the ETRR-1 research reactor

Neutronic calculations were performed for the new loading configuration of the ETRR-1 research reactor. The MCNP three dimensions Monte Carlo code and the two dimensions CITATION code are used to model the reactor. The power and thermal flux distributions in the reactor core are calculated. The power peak factor and the effect of control rod insertion on both flux and power profiles in the reactor core are determined and analyzed. The partial and total control rods worth are calculated. It was found that the difference between MCNP and CITATION in power distributions is 4 to 8 % and for thermal flux ranges between 3 to 14 %.

Calculation of control plates life time and worth at the ETRR-2 research reactor

A detailed three-dimensional MCNP model of the ETRR-2 research reactor has been developed for the analysis of the neutronic parameters of the reactor. The model was used to determine the partial control plates reactivity worth and the behavior of the worth with time. The results of the present model were compared with the experimental measurements for partial control plates reactivity worth and with the design calculations for control plates behavior with time. The comparisons indicate satisfactory agreement.

Monte Carlo simulation of the ETRR-2 research reactor using the MCNP Code

The MCNP computer Code is used to model the ETRR-2 research reactor. A computer program was designed to evaluate the axial burn-up of the fuel elements. The excess reactivity of the reactor core is calculated for different core configurations and compared with the existing measurements. The thermal flux is also calculated and compared with measurements. Several factors that affect the safety of the reactor such as power peak and the effect of control rod insertion on the reactor power and flux were studied and analysed. The agreement between the MCNP results and the experimentally determined values is good.

Neutronic and burn-up calculations of heterogeneous Thorium/Uranium fuel in pressurized water reactors

The purpose of this work is to study the feasibility of the Thorium/Uranium fuel cycle in heterogeneous Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) core design. This paper focuses on the neutronic and burn-up analysis of the Thorium/Uranium fuel using the computer codes MCNPX and WIMS. The design is based on the Whole Assembly Seed and Blanket (WASB) concept, in which the individual seed (Uranium) and blanket (Thorium-Uranium) units occupy one full-size PWR assembly in a checkerboard core configuration. The results of the present models were compared with the solution of benchmark problems and satisfactory agreement was found.

Calculation of the pin power distribution for a thorium reactor assembly and benchmarking

A computer model was developed to perform neutronic and burn-up analysis for an assembly of a thorium reactor. The MCNP computer code was used to model the geometry of the assembly and to determine both, the power and flux distribution. A system of ordinary differential equations which represents all fuel isotopes was solved numerically to evaluate the time behavior of fuel composition and burn-up. The results of the present model were compared with the solutions of benchmark problems and satisfactory agreement was found.