Measuring volume fractions of a three-phase flow without separation utilizing an approach based on artificial intelligence and capacitive sensors.

Many different kind of fluids in a wide variety of industries exist, such as two-phase and three-phase. Various combinations of them can be expected and gas-oil-water is one of the most common flows. Measuring the volume fraction of phases without separation is vital in many aspects, one of which is financial issues.

Intelligent Measuring of the Volume Fraction Considering Temperature Changes and Independent Pressure Variations for a Two-Phase Homogeneous Fluid Using an 8-Electrode Sensor and an ANN.

Two-phase fluids are widely utilized in some industries, such as petrochemical, oil, water, and so on. Each phase, liquid and gas, needs to be measured. The measuring of the void fraction is vital in many industries because there are many two-phase fluids with a wide variety of liquids.

Contribution of neural networks in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmia.

Arrhythmia is a dangerous disease in which the heart rhythm varies and it may be very fast or very slow. Rapid heartbeats can lead to shortness of breath, chest pain, and sudden weakness, whereas slow heartbeats can lead to dizziness, problems with concentration, and constant stress. Finding an effective treatment for arrhythmia has become a very important endeavor for researchers and clinicians.

Qualitative theoretical modeling to study the possibility of detecting multi-virus in blood flow using Nano-quartz crystal microbalance.

Methods for testing the presence of a virus in the blood are of interest to researchers and doctors because they determine how rapidly a virus is detected. In general, virus detection is a major scientific problem due to the serious effects of viruses on the human body. At present, only one virus can be detected in a single test.

Validation of Nanoparticle Response to the Sound Pressure Effect during the Drug-Delivery Process.

Intravenous delivery is the fastest conventional method of delivering drugs to their targets in seconds, whereas intramuscular and subcutaneous injections provide a slower continuous delivery of drugs. In recent years, nanoparticle-based drug-delivery systems have gained considerable attention. During the progression of nanoparticles into the blood, the sound waves generated by the particles create acoustic pressure that affects the movement of nanoparticles.

[Henoch-Shonlein purpura in adults in South Tunisia: a series of 14 cases].

Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is a small-vessel vasculitis secondary to IgA deposits. We conducted a retrospective study of 14 cases of HSP in adults based on EULAR/PRINTO/PRES classification criteria for HSP over a period of 18 years (1996 to 2014) in Department of Internal Medicine at the Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Sfax, South Tunisia. The purpose of our study was to highlight the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and evolutionary features of HSP in our adult patients.

Familial lupus in Tunisia: a series of 14 families.

The relatively high prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in familial cases supports genetic susceptibility to this disease. Although many advances have been made in the identification of new genes implicated in lupus pathogenesis, to date, there has been no large study of familial SLE. We report what we believe to be the first study of familial SLE in the North African population.

A Novel Design of an Intelligent Drug Delivery System Based on Nanoantenna Particles.

Compound nanoparticle drug delivery system plays an important role in the interaction with lymph nodes. There are three primary types of lymphocytes: B cells, T cells, and natural killer cells. When the cells of the immune system turn carcinogenic, they assault body cells.

[Tocilizumab for refractory Takayasu arteritis with aortic aneurysm].

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a form of large vessel vasculitis (LVV) which affects the aorta and the main arteries. Many reports showed efficacy of biologic drugs (TNF α inhibitors and interleukin 6 inhibitors) in refractory TA cases. We report the case of a 46-year-old woman with refractory TA complicated by giant aortic aneurysm (AA) and severe hypertension, treated efficacy with tocilizumab (anti-interleukin 6 receptor monoclonal antibody).

[Liver involvement in Rendu-Osler disease: a case report and review of literature].

A 48 years-old-woman was admitted for anectric cholestasis. A history of recurrent personal and familial epistaxis was noted. Biologic findings revealed iron deficiency anemia and moderate cholestasis.

Activity of Bisnaphthalimidopropyl Derivatives against Trypanosoma brucei.

Current treatments for African trypanosomiasis are either toxic, costly, difficult to administer, or prone to elicit resistance. This study evaluated the activity of bisnaphthalimidopropyl (BNIP) derivatives againstTrypanosoma brucei BNIPDiaminobutane (BNIPDabut), the most active of these compounds, showedin vitroinhibition in the single-unit nanomolar range, similar to the activity in the reference drug pentamidine, and presented low toxicity and adequate metabolic stability. Additionally, using a murine model of acute infection and live imaging, a significant decrease in parasite load in BNIPDabut-treated mice was observed.

Association study of MICA-TM and HLA-class I polymorphism with uveitis in South Tunisian population.

Background: Uveitis refers to intraocular inflammation. The pattern of uveitis is largely influenced by a multitude of factors including genetic background.

Aim: The purpose of our study was to identify the association between the polymorphism of the transmembrane region of MICA (MICA-TM) and uveitis in Tunisian patients with intraocular inflammation.

Multiple cranial nerve palsy revealing hypertrophic pachymeningitis with positive myeloperoxidase-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody.

Pachymeningitis is a progressive disease resulting in a diffuse thickening of dura mater due to inflammation, tumor or autoimmune diseases, but most cases are idiopathic. Here, we report the case of a 60-year old man who had a progressive sensorineural hearing loss, visual disturbance and others cranial nerve involvement with an accompanying headache over several months. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed diffusely thickened dura mater, highly enhanced after gadolinium administration, which was consistent with pachymeningitis.

Immunogenicity and efficacy of an in-house developed cell-culture derived veterinarian rabies vaccine.

The efficiency of an inactivated tissue culture rabies vaccine produced on BHK-21 cells, according to an in-house developed process, was evaluated and compared to a commercial cell-tissue culture vaccine (Rabisin). Fifteen experimental dogs from local common breed were duly conditioned during a quarantine period, then vaccinated via the subcutaneous route with 1 ml of either the tissue culture vaccine developed in-house or the commercial vaccine Rabisin. The immune response of each dog was monitored for 162 days.

Optimization of virus yield as a strategy to improve rabies vaccine production by Vero cells in a bioreactor.

To improve rabies vaccine production by Vero cells, we have developed a strategy based on high cell density culture and optimization of virus yield. We have first optimized cell growth in spinner flask using a Taguchi's L8 experimental design. We analyzed the effects of the following factors: initial glucose and glutamine concentrations, Cytodex 1 concentration and the regulation of glucose level at 1 g l(-1).

A novel process for the production of a veterinary rabies vaccine in BHK-21 cells grown on microcarriers in a 20-l bioreactor.

We studied BHK-21 cells growth in a 2-l bioreactor and investigated the effects of microcarrier concentration, type of growth medium, culture mode and serum concentration. The highest cell density reached was equal to 4x10(6) cells/ml and was achieved in minimum essential medium supplemented with Hanks' salts, non-essential amino acids and 5% fetal calf serum, using a perfusion culture mode and a microcarrier concentration of 4 g Cytodex 3/l. We studied rabies virus production (PV/BHK-21 strain) by BHK-21 cells grown at the optimal conditions determined previously.