Therapeutic effects of topical 0.03% Tacrolimus ointment in children with refractory vernal keratoconjunctivitis in Middle East

ObjectiveThe purpose of this paper is to review the efficacy and safety profile in children treated with topical 0.03% Tacrolimus ointment for vernal keratoconjunctivitis in Middle East and to propose a treatment posology. According to recent studies, a complex non-IgE dependent mechanism plays a relevant role in the pathogenesis of vernal keratoconjunctivitis. Numerous cells and mediators have been found in the serum, conjunctiva and tears of patients with Vernal keratoconjunctivitis.DesignThis case series included 10 patients from a single centre, pediatric department of a tertiary hospital with active symptomatic vernal keratoconjunctivitis. All the patients had proliferative lesions and corneal involvement despite conventional medications, including topical steroids. All other medications, systemic and topical: steroids, antihistamines and cyclosporine, were unsuccessful. Patients were treated with topical 0.03% Tacrolimus ointment twice daily for 8 weeks and then once a day for the next two month followed by thrice a week for two months. The changes in symptoms and signs after treatment were evaluated, also the development of possible complications was assessed.ResultsThe results showed a significant reduction in signs and symptoms after 4 weeks of the treatment. Clinical resolution of giant papillae and corneal lesions were seen within eight weeks and no additional drug was required during that period, except tear substitutes. Treatment was continued for period of two months and then slowly reduced.ConclusionThe use of 0.03% Tacrolimus ointment is safe and effective in children refractory to conventional treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis even in high temperature climate as Middle East. Due to the effectiveness of the treatment, the dosage used may be proposed for conventional use.     

不同婴儿食品铝含量的测定

本文应用原子吸收光谱法测定母乳、牛奶、奶粉及不同喂养方式婴儿血清中锌、铜、铁及铝含量。母乳中锌、铜、铁含量均较牛奶丰富，铝含量低于牛奶；奶粉中锌、铜、铁含量高于牛奶，与母乳无显著差异，铝含量高于牛奶。母乳、牛奶及奶粉喂养的贫血患儿血清铝含量无显著差异，均明显低于铝中毒的血清铝水平。     

Selective cortical decrease of high-affinity choline uptake carrier in Alzheimer's disease: An autoradiographic study using3H-hemicholinium-3

Summary ³H-hemicholinium-3 (³H-HC-3) binding, a marker of the presynaptic high-affinity choline uptake carrier (HACU), was measured by autoradiography in several brain regions of 17 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and of 11 matched controls. A significant decrease in the density of³H-HC-3 binding sites was found in entorhinal cortex, hippocampus and layers I–III of the frontal cortex. By contrast, in the caudate-putamen the number of³H-HC-3 binding sites in AD cases was comparable to that of control striata. These data concur with previous results using classical presynaptic markers and reflect the loss in the activity of HACU, and, hence, in the synthesis of acetylcholine, that selectively occurs in cortical areas of AD brains due to the degeneration of presynaptic cholinergic terminals arising from the basal forebrain. However, the relatively low mean reduction in HACU in cortical areas (–40%), together with the apparent indemnity of this marker in certain severely demented AD cases, suggest that AD dementia cannot be explained simply by the loss of presynaptic terminals originating in the basal forebrain. These data seem to be a good explanation for the poor response to cholinergic replacement in AD.     

Al互连线微结构的EBSD分析与电徙动可靠性

采用电子背散射衍射技术(EBSD),测量了微电子器件中Al互连线的晶粒结构、晶体学取向和晶界特征.Al互连线制备及退火工艺影响着互连线的显微结构和电徙动中值寿命(MTF).结果表明,退火后晶粒明显长大,晶粒呈近竹节结构,形成很强的{111}织构,并使小角度晶界增加,从而提高了Al互连线的电徙动可靠性.     

[18F]Fluoride labelling of macromolecules in aqueous conditions: silicon and boroaryl‐based [18F]fluorine acceptors, [18F]FDG conjugation and Al18F chelation

[¹⁸F]Fluorination is usually carried out by nucleophilic substitution reactions entailing the use of stringent conditions. A number of novel techniques including silicon and boron‐based fluoride acceptor molecules, [¹⁸F]fluoro‐2‐deoxy‐ d ‐glucose and chelation of the Al¹⁸F complex have been employed recently to achieve [¹⁸F]radiolabelling of macromolecules. These approaches are reviewed herein. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improved quantification of protein in vaccines containing aluminum hydroxide by simple modification of the Lowry method

Aluminum (Al) components in vaccines are known to act as adsorbents that interfere with accurate protein quantification by the Lowry method. Therefore, certain modifications based on the characteristics and compositions of the vaccine are required for determination of protein contents.We investigated the effects of an additional centrifugal separation and found that protein contents were overestimated by up to 238% without centrifugation through a collaborative study performed with hepatitis B vaccines containing Al. However, addition of a centrifugation step yielded protein concentrations that were similar to the actual values, with small coefficients of variation (CVs). Proficiency testing performed in 11 laboratories showed that four laboratories did not have satisfactory results for vaccines containing aluminum hydroxide, although all laboratories were proficient in protein analysis when samples did not contain aluminum hydroxide. Incomplete resuspension of aluminum hydroxide solution with alkaline copper solution was the major cause of insufficient proficiency in these laboratories.     

糖尿病患者Apo－Al、Apo－B测定及其临床意义

本文对６０例糖尿病患者及６２例正常人的血清载脂蛋白（Ａｐｏ）－Ａｌ，Ａｐｏ－Ｂ高密度脂蛋白（ＨＤＬ）和低密度脂蛋白（ＬＤＬ）水平进行了测定，结果显示：（１）糖尿病患者Ａｐｏ－Ａｌ水平和Ａｐｏ－Ｂ水平均明显高于正常人（Ｐ＜０．０１）。（２）住院治疗前，糖尿病患者血清ＨＤＬ水平明显低于正常人（Ｐ＜０．０１）。（３）住院治疗期间糖尿病患者血清ＨＤＬ水平显著增高（Ｐ＜０．０１），而ＬＤＬ水平无明显改变（Ｐ＞０．０５）。     

Laser Surface Texturing and Electropolishing of CoCr and Ti6Al4V-ELI Alloys for Biomedical Applications

The interplay between a prosthetic and tissue represents an important factor for the fixation of orthopedic implants. Laser texturing tests and electropolishing were performed on two materials used in the fabrication of medical devices, i.e., CoCr and Ti6Al4V-ELI alloys. The material surface was textured with a diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) laser and its effect on the surface quality and material modification, under different combinations of laser power and marking speed, were investigated. Our results indicate that an increment of energy per unit length causes an incremental trend in surface roughness parameters. Additionally, phase transformation on the surface of both alloys was achieved. Chemical analysis by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX) shows the formation of (Co(Cr,Mo)) phase and the M₂₃C₆ precipitate on the CoCr surface; while quantitative analysis of the X-ray diffractometer (XRD) results demonstrates the oxidation of the Ti alloy with the formation of Ti₂O and Ti₆O from the reduction of the α-Ti phase. The behaviors were both related with an increase of the energy per unit length. Control of the final surface roughness was achieved by an electropolishing post-treatment, minimizing the as-treated values. After polishing, a reduction of surface roughness parameters was obtained in a range between 3% and 44%, while no changes in chemical composition or present phases were observed.     

Numerical Modeling and Analysis of Ti6Al4V Alloy Chip for Biomedical Applications

The influence of cutting forces during the machining of titanium alloys has attained prime attention in selecting the optimal cutting conditions to improve the surface integrity of medical implants and biomedical devices. So far, it has not been easy to explain the chip morphology of Ti6Al4V and the thermo-mechanical interactions involved during the cutting process. This paper investigates the chip configuration of the Ti6Al4V alloy under dry milling conditions at a macro and micro scale by employing the Johnson-Cook material damage model. 2D modeling, numerical milling simulations, and post-processing were conducted using the Abaqus/Explicit commercial software. The uncut chip geometry was modeled with variable thicknesses to accomplish the macro to micro-scale cutting by adapting a trochoidal path. Numerical results, predicted for the cutting reaction forces and shearing zone temperatures, were found in close approximation to experimental ones with minor deviations. Further analyses evaluated the influence of cutting speeds and contact friction coefficients over the chip flow stress, equivalent plastic strain, and chip morphology. The methodology developed can be implemented in resolving the industrial problems in the biomedical sector for predicting the chip morphology of the Ti6Al4V alloy, fracture mechanisms of hard-to-cut materials, and the effects of different cutting parameters on workpiece integrity.     

Strength Properties of a Porous Titanium Alloy Ti6Al4V with Diamond Structure Obtained by Laser Power Bed Fusion (LPBF)

This paper presents the results of experimental research on the strength properties of porous structures with different degrees of density manufactured of Ti6Al4V titanium alloy by Laser Power Bed Fusion. In the experiment, samples with diamond structure of porosity: 34%, 50%, 73% and 81% were used, as well as samples with near-zero porosity. Monotonic tensile tests were carried out to determine the effective values of axial modulus of elasticity, ultimate tensile strength, offset yield strength, ultimate elongation and Poisson ratio for titanium alloys with different porosities. The paper also proposes relationships that can be easily used to estimate the strength and rigidity of a porous material manufactured by 3D printing. They were obtained by the approximation of two quotients. The first one refers to the relationship between the tensile strength of a material with a defined porosity to the strength of full-filled material. The second similarly determines the change in the value of the axial modulus of elasticity. The analysis of microscopic observations of fracture surfaces and also microtomography visualization of the material structure are also presented.