Exploring the Potential to Repurpose Flexible Moulded Polyurethane Foams as Acoustic Insulators.

Polyurethane flexible foams are widely used for a variety of applications to improve comfort and durability. Their long-term frequent use inevitably leads to the generation of waste that needs to be treated. The recycling and reuse of polyurethane waste are essential to achieve an environmentally friendly economy.

Rehabilitation following thumb CMC, radiocarpal, and DRUJ arthroplasty.

Hand therapy is essential after arthroplasty around the wrist. This article includes therapy guidelines and goals after surgical reconstruction of the thumb carpometacarpal joint, radiocarpal joint, and distal radioulnar joint. Typical concerns and treatment options are addressed.

The load of genetic and partially genetic disease in man. IV. Severe visual handicaps and profound childhood deafness in Hungarian school-age children.

In Hungary, the school-age prevalences of severe visual handicaps and of profound childhood deafness have been estimated to be about 6/10(4) and 10/10(4), respectively. Most of these conditions have onset at birth or in early childhood and are aetiologically heterogeneous. Severe visual handicaps are grouped under 11 aetiological categories, their relative contributions to the prevalence being: perinatal damage syndrome (20%; half of this is due to retinopathy of premature infants), cataracts (15%), choroidoretinal degenerations (15%), congenital abnormalities of the eye (15%), syndromes (10%), high myopia +/- retinal detachment (7%), postnatal causes (5%), nystagmus (5%), optic atrophy (4%), bilateral retinoblastoma (2%) and prenatal causes (2%).

The second report of Knobloch syndrome.

Two sibs affected with Knobloch syndrome comprising severe visual handicap (high myopia and retinal detachment with other defects), atypical occipital cephalocele, and unusual plantar creases are described.

Biological Control of Damping-Off of Alfalfa Seedlings with Bacillus cereus UW85.

We explored the potential of biological control of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) seedling damping-off caused by Phytophthora megasperma f. sp.

The biomedical effects of laser application.

This paper briefly reviews the authors' experimental and clinical use of lasers over a 20-year period, during which laser effects on 15 biological systems were studied. Low-energy laser radiation was found to have a stimulating effect on cells, and high-energy radiation had an inhibiting effect. The application of lasers to stimulate wound healing in cases of nonhealing ulcers is recommended.

[Biostimulating effect of laser beams].

The biostimulatic effect of laser radiation was proved in animal investigations and also observed in 259 patients with disturbed wound healing. Laser rays can be applied without any risk in patients. The therapy was successful in over 90% of the patients.

[Effects of direct laser radiation on human lymphocytes (author's transl)].

In vitro experiments with human lymphocytes showed that if irradiations with coherent light of a He-Ne-laser were performed an immune suppressor effect is obtained. Using incoherent light of the same wavelength, effects only occur (80% compared to the laser) if the light is linear polarized.

Stimulation of wound healing by means of laser rays. Part III--Investigation of the effect on immune competent cells.

The immune-suppressive action of laser rays was studied in directly irradiated human lymphocytes. It was found that the argon ion gas laser is more effective in the range between 488 and 501 nm than at other wavelengths and than the He--Ne laser (632 nm) of the same performance. It is assumed that the suppression of some undesirable immune reaction (auto-aggressive process) contributes to the stimulating effect of laser rays on wound healing.

Laser treatment of coumarin-induced skin necrosis.

Favourable results have been achieved by low energy He--Ne gas laser in the treatment of coumarin-induced extensive skin necroses. Two illustrative cases are reported.

Laser stimulation of wound healing.

Serum complement activity, immunoglobulin levels and the circulating auto-antibodies were studied in the course of laser treatment of 20 cases of crural ulcer. After temporary changes a normalization of the humoral immune response was observed in the healing cases, while in the stagnating ones opposite trend was manifest. In none of the groups were detected circulating auto-antibodies against the investigated antigens.

The effect of laser irradiation on the regeneration of muscle fibers (preliminary report).

The authors studied the process of muscular regeneration on experimental models after simple muscle injury and under the effect of low-energy laser-irradiation. It is stated that the stimulating effect not only accelerated the wound healing, but most likely influenced also the qualitative improvement of regeneration.

Effect of laser irradiation and immunosuppressive treatment on survival of mouse skin allotransplants.

The effect of laser beam on the survival of skin allotransplants has been studied. Irradiation of the donor skin and of the recipient graft bed improved the survival of the graft. The graft protecting effect of anti-thymocyte serum was considerably enhanced by laser irradiation.