Oxygen consumption, effort, and weaning in the mechanically ventilated patient in the intensive care unit: The extubate study: A protocol for an observational study.

Purpose: The spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) is often performed to determine whether the patient can be extubated with a minimal risk of failure. The rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI) is an important parameter used in an SBT. However, weaning failure rates are between 15 and 20 %.

Mechanical Power Is Associated With Mortality in Pressure-Controlled Ventilated Patients: A Dutch, Single-Center Cohort Study.

Importance: Mechanical power (MP) could serve as a valuable parameter in clinical practice to estimate the likelihood of adverse outcomes. However, the safety thresholds for MP in mechanical ventilation remain underexplored and contentious.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the association between MP and hospital mortality across varying degrees of lung disease severity, classified by Pao2/Fio2 ratios.

Intraperitoneal pharmacokinetics of systemic oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil and bevacizumab in patients with colorectal peritoneal metastases.

Background: Peritoneal metastases (PM) commonly occur in colorectal cancer patients. Systemic chemotherapy yields poor outcomes for these patients. It is hypothesised that traditional systemic chemotherapy is not very effective for this patient population.

Mechanical Power Differs Between Pressure-Controlled Ventilation and Different Volume-Controlled Ventilation Modes.

Objectives: Mechanical power (MP) is a way of estimating the energy delivered by the ventilator to the patient. For both volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) and pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) methods have been described to calculate the MP. The pressure-volume (PV) loop, from which the MP is calculated, is different for VCV compared with PCV.

A combined microphysiological-computational omics approach in dietary protein evaluation.

Food security is under increased pressure due to the ever-growing world population. To tackle this, alternative protein sources need to be evaluated for nutritional value, which requires information on digesta peptide composition in comparison to established protein sources and coupling to biological parameters. Here, a combined experimental and computational approach is presented, which compared seventeen protein sources with cow's whey protein concentrate (WPC) as the benchmark.

Novel Dietary Proteins Selectively Affect Intestinal Health In Vitro after -Secreted Toxin A Exposure.

Bacterial gastroenteritis forms a burden on a global scale, both socially and economically. The Gram-positive bacterium is an inducer of gastrointestinal bacterial infections, often triggered following disruption of the microbiota by broad-spectrum antibiotics to treat other conditions. The clinical manifestatiaons, e.

[Can dental students and dental care providers in the Netherlands effectively and safely prescribe drugs?].

Dentists and dental specialists are qualified to prescribe drugs. In this study, we assessed and compared the pharmacotherapeutic knowledge and skills of final year dental students, dentists and dental specialists in the Netherlands. In 2017, a random sample of these three groups was invited to complete an assessment.

Are Dutch dental students and dental-care providers competent prescribers of drugs?

Dental students and dental-care providers should be able to prescribe drugs safely and effectively. As it is unknown whether this is the case, we assessed and compared the prescribing competence of dental students and dental-care providers in the Netherlands. In 2017, all Dutch final-year dental students and a random sample of all qualified general dental practitioners and dental specialists (oral and maxillofacial surgeons and orthodontists) were invited to complete validated prescribing knowledge-assessment and skills-assessment instruments.

Characterization of the SAR-distribution of the Sigma-60 applicator for regional hyperthermia using a Schottky diode sheet.

Introduction: Characterization of the performance of an hyperthermia applicator by phantom experiments is an essential aspect of quality assurance in hyperthermia. The objective of this study was to quantitatively characterize the energy distribution of the Sigma-60 applicator of the BSD2000 phased array system operated within the normal frequency range of 70-120 MHz. Additionally, the accuracy of the flexible Schottky diode sheet to measure E-field distributions was assessed.

The value of statistical life in road safety: a meta-analysis.

Costs of accidents make up an important part of the total external cost of traffic. A substantial proportion of accident costs is related to fatal accidents. In the evaluation of fatal accident costs the availability of an estimate of the economic value of a statistical life is pivotal.

Accuracy of electrical field measurement using the flexible Schottky diode sheet at 433 MHz.

In this study, the accuracy of Schottky diode sensors mounted as a two-dimensional array on a flexible 125 micro m thick polyester foil has been studied. The diodes are placed at a distance of 2.5 x 2.

Stability and accuracy of power and phase measurements of a VVM system designed for online quality control of the BSD-2000 (-3D) DHT system.

Accurate control of power and phase is essential for the quality assurance of hyperthermia treatments. Hereto, an external measurement device was inserted, built around a Vector Voltmeter (VVM), in order to assess online the performance of the steering capability of the BSD-2000 and later the BSD-2000-3D system. This paper only concerns the power and phase calibration of the signal in the path between the power and phase detection probes of the BSD-system and power and phase measurement point of the VVM.

Theoretical comparison of the SAR distributions from arrays of modified current sheet applicators with that of lucite cone applicators using Gaussian beam modelling.

The technical comparison of Current Sheet Applicator (CSA) and Lucite Cone Applicator (LCA) arrays covering an area of approximately 20 x 20 cm2 is investigated based on Gaussian beam (GB) predicted SAR distributions. The comparison is made in muscle equivalent tissue at 1 cm depth (maximum SAR normalized to 100%) and over a volume of 3 cm depth under the aperture of the antennae. The planar SAR distribution is tested on field sizes (FSx: area covering x% SAR), penetration depth (PD) and homogeneity coefficient (HC = FS75/FS25).

Low temperature sensing in tulip (Tulipa gesneriana L.) is mediated through an increased response to auxin.

Tulip (Tulipa gesneriana L.) is a bulbous plant species that requires a period of low temperature for proper growth and flowering. The mechanism of sensing the low temperature period is unknown.

Economic evaluation of traffic safety measures for transport companies.

This paper addresses the economic feasibility of measures to reduce the material damage of transport companies. Results are presented of a series of interviews among transport companies as well as from a postal questionnaire survey. Next, calculations are presented for three types of companies: a small family company, a large family company and a large formalised company.

Comparison of the clinical effectiveness of the 433 MHz Lucite cone applicator with that of a conventional waveguide applicator in applications of superficial hyperthermia.

Purpose: This report presents the final stage of our program to improve the quality of our superficial hyperthermia treatments. We have already demonstrated that the Lucite cone applicator (LCA), our technically improved water-filled, wave-guide applicator (WGA), is superior to the conventional WGA. The main objective of the present study was to investigate whether the technical improvements of a WGA were reflected in an improved clinical performance, e.

Reirradiation combined with hyperthermia in recurrent breast cancer results in a worthwhile local palliation.

Both experimental and clinical research have shown that hyperthermia (HT) gives valuable additional effects when applied in combination with radiotherapy (RT). The purpose of this study was evaluation of results in patients with recurrent breast cancer, treated at the Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center (DHCC) with reirradiation (re-RT; eight fractions of 4 Gy twice weekly) combined with HT. All 134 patients for whom such treatment was planned were included in the analysis.

Quantitative evaluation of 2 x 2 arrays of Lucite cone applicators in flat layered phantoms using Gaussian-beam-predicted and thermographically measured SAR distributions.

SAR distributions from four different E-field-orientated 2 x 2 arrays of incoherently driven Lucite cone applicators (LCAs) were investigated. The LCAs operated at 433 MHz with an aperture of 10.5 cm x 10.

Effectiveness of the Gaussian beam model in predicting SAR distributions from the lucite cone applicator.

The Gaussian beam model (GBM) has been shown to be a successful tool in the development of the current sheet applicator. As a result, the effectiveness of the GBM is investigated in single and dual array applications of the lucite cone applicator (LCA). The LCA is a modified water-filled waveguide applicator with an improved effective field size (EFS > 64 cm2, aperture 10 cm x 10 cm).

Practical limitations of interstitial thermometry during deep hyperthermia.

Purpose: Intratumor thermometry during hyperthermia treatment is considered important for several reasons. The morbidity that we experienced from interstitially placed catheters in deep-seated tumors gave reason to weigh the advantages and disadvantages against each other.

Methods And Materials: The available thermometry in 215 patients treated with hyperthermia for deep-seated tumors was analyzed with the aim to evaluate practically feasible intratumor measurements.

A 433 MHz Lucite cone waveguide applicator for superficial hyperthermia.

The effective field size (EFS, SAR > or = 50% of the maximum SAR at 1 cm depth) of a conventional 433 MHz water filled waveguide applicator (32 cm2, aperture area 100 cm2) has been increased by: (1) replacement of the two diverging brass side walls which are parallel to the direction of the electric field by Lucite walls; and (2) Placement of a heterogeneous permittivity in the centre of the aperture. SAR distributions were measured at several depths in layered fat-muscle phantoms. With Lucite side walls the SAR distribution becomes wider in the H-plane of the aperture, resulting in a circular SAR distribution.

Protein extration from an aqueous phase into a reversed micellar phase: Effect of water content and reversed micellar composition.

In the system composed of the cationic surfactant TOMAC (10 mM), the nonionic (co)surfactant Rewopal HV5 (2 mM), and octanol (0.1% v/v) in isooctane, reversed micelles are formed upon contact with an aqueous phase containing 50 mM ethylene diamine. alpha-Amylase can be transferred from the aqueous phase into reversed micelles in the pH range 9.

Reductive and oxidative half-reactions of glutathione reductase from Escherichia coli.

Glutathione reductase catalyzes the reduction of glutathione disulfide by NADPH and has a redox active disulfide and an FAD cofactor in each monomer. In the reductive half-reaction, FAD is reduced by NADPH and electrons pass from the reduced flavin to the redox active disulfide. The oxidative half-reaction is dithiol-disulfide interchange between the enzyme dithiol and glutathione disulfide.