Activity

In interventional cardiology, patients may be exposed to high doses to the skin resulting in skin burns following single or multiple procedures. Reviewing and analysing available software (online or offline) may help medical physicists assessing the maximum skin dose to the patient together with the dose distribution during (or after) these procedures.

Capabilities and accuracy of available software were analysed through an extensive bibliography search and contacts with both vendor and authors. Their markedly differed among developers. In total, 22 software were identified and reviewed according to their algorithms and their capabilities. Special attention was dedicated to their main features and limitations of interest for the intended clinical use. While the accuracy of the 12 software products validated with measurements on phantoms was acceptable (within±25%), the agreement was poor for the two products validated on patients (within±43% and±76%, respectively). In addition, no software has been validated on angiographic units from all manufacturers, though several software developers claimed vendor-independent transportability. Only one software allows for multiple procedures dose calculation.

Large differences among vendors made it clear that work remains to be done before an accurate and reliable skin dose mapping is available for all patients.

Large differences among vendors made it clear that work remains to be done before an accurate and reliable skin dose mapping is available for all patients.

To investigate if self-reported pain with single leg heel raise (SLHR) or single leg hop (SLH) are concurrently valid to assess midportion (MPAT) or insertional Achilles tendinopathy (IAT) symptom severity, compared to the VISA-A. Additionally, if SLHR or SLH pain accounts for VISA-A variability, and if they are associated with psychological factors.

60 men with MPAT, 26 men with IAT.

Participants rated SLHR and SLH pain on a numerical rating scale (0=none, 10=worst). We investigated relationships between loading task pain, VISA-A, VISA-A constructs, and psychological outcomes (Pearson’s correlation coefficients). Linear regression determined best model accounting for VISA-A variability.

In MPAT, load tests shared fair-negative relationship with VISA-A, and VISA-A function. In IAT, SLHR had moderately strong-negative relationship with VISA-A, and pain and function constructs, and SLH shared fair-negative relationship with VISA-A, and pain and function constructs. Relationships were negligible between load tests and VISA-A activity in both conditions, and VISA-A pain in MPAT. In IAT, there was fair-positive relationship between pain catastrophising and load tests. Remaining psychological outcome relationships were negligible. Best model accounting for VISA-A included SLH in MPAT, and SLHR in IAT.

Despite VISA-A and selected VISA-A construct associations, self-reported SLHR and SLH pain appears to provide distinct information.

Despite VISA-A and selected VISA-A construct associations, self-reported SLHR and SLH pain appears to provide distinct information.

To verify the effects of successive judo matches on interlimb asymmetry and bilateral deficit in judo athletes.

Repeated measures; SETTING University Judo center.

Fourteen male judo athletes.

Four simulated matches consisting of 4-min. Before the first match and after each match athletes were submitted to single leg tests – Countermovement Jump (SL

) and Standing Long Jump (SL

), and handgrip strength (HGS) in the dominant and non-dominant limbs. Interlimb asymmetry was calculated in both jumps and handgrip strength tests.

Most jump-derived variables did not change the magnitude of asymmetry throughout the matches (p>0.05), with the exception of jump height asymmetry in SL

, that increased after the second match (p=0.001). The HGS decreased in both hands from the first match (p<0.001), without asymmetry. The highest bilateral strength deficit was observed in post-match 1 and post-match 2 (close to 10%).

Four-successive judo matches did not change the magnitude of interlimb asymmetry, with exception of SL

height, which increased after the second match. The handgrip strength decreased throughout the matches, but similarly in both hands. Finally, the direction of asymmetry showed consistency throughout the matches only for SL

height.

Four-successive judo matches did not change the magnitude of interlimb asymmetry, with exception of SLCMJ height, which increased after the second match. The handgrip strength decreased throughout the matches, but similarly in both hands. Finally, the direction of asymmetry showed consistency throughout the matches only for SLCMJ height.Hair waste in large amount is produced in India from temples and saloons, India alone exported approximately 1 million kg of hair in 2010. Incineration and degradation of waste human hair leads to environmental concerns. The hydrothermal process is a conventional method for the production of hair hydrolysate. The hydrothermal process is carried out at a very high temperature and pressure, which causes the degradation of heat-sensitive essential amino acids, thereby depleting the nutritional value. This work deals with alkaline hydrolysis of human hair using acoustic and hydrodynamic cavitation, and comparison with the conventional method. The optimal operating conditions for highest efficiency was observed, for the hydrolysis of 1 g of sample hairs in 100 mL of solution, at 41 (KOH hair) ratio, soaking time of 24 h, the ultrasonic power density of 600 W dm-3 (20 KHz frequency and input power 200 W) or hydrodynamic cavitation inlet pressure of 4 or 7 bars. Teniposide clinical trial Cavitation results in rupture of disulfide linkages in proteins and mechanical effects lead to cleavage of several hydrogen bonds breaking the keratin sheet structure in hair. Breakdown of bonds leads to a decrease in viscosity of the solution. 10% and 6% reduction in viscosity is obtained at optimal conditions for ultrasonic and hydrodynamic cavitation treatment, respectively. FTIR analysis of produced hair hydrolysate confirmed that the disulfide bonds in hair proteins are broken down during cavitation. The amino acid of hair hydrolysate, prepared using cavitation, has a relatively higher digestibility and nutritional value due to the enhancement of amino-acid content, confirmed using amino acid analysis. Cavitation assisted hair hydrolysate has a potential application in agricultural engineering as a fertilizer for improvement of the quality of the soil and land. Cavitation based hair hydrolysate can also be used as an environmentally friendly and economical source of essential amino acids and digestibles for animal or poultry feed.