Systems analysis of digestate primary processing techniques.

In this paper, we performed technology assessment and systems analysis of primary digestate processing techniques to provide a comprehensive analysis of their environmental and cost performance. We compiled more than 100 observations from large-scale biogas plants and considered digestate based on manure, crops and agro-wastes, and food waste under the geographical contexts of Sweden and Belgium. Centrifuge, screw press, and rotary drum were identified as suitable primary processing techniques.

Improving Primary Health Care Data With : From a Medical to a Person-Centered Perspective.

The World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) developed the third edition of the () to support the shift from a medical perspective to a person-centered perspective in primary health care. The previous editions ( and ) allowed description of 3 important elements of health care encounters: the reason for the encounter, the diagnosis and/or health problem, and the process of care. The adds function-related information as a fourth element, thereby capturing most parts of the encounter in a single practical and concise classification.

Is Canadian federal legislation effective in preventing youth access to vaping initiation products? A study using secret shoppers and online access in three Alberta cities.

The (Canada, 1997) (the "") aims to protect the health of young persons by restricting access to vaping products. We studied whether the achieves this goal by sending young 'secret shoppers' to 120 shops in Calgary, Edmonton, and Red Deer to attempt to buy nicotine-based vaping-initiation products, and by asking minors to purchase the same product online. We used three 'improper' shop scenarios: 1.

Impact of the inoculum composition on the structure of the total and active community and its performance in identically operated anaerobic reactors.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a biological process that is acquiring increasing attention for both solid waste and wastewater treatment, as well as for the production of valuable chemicals. Despite the importance of the inoculum, the relationship between inoculum community composition, reactor performance, and reactor community composition remains vague. To understand the impact of the starting community on the composition and functioning of the AD microbiome, we studied three sets of biologically replicated AD reactors inoculated with different communities, but operated identically, targeting both total and active community compositions.

Improving Health Related Quality of Life and Independence in Community Dwelling Frail Older Adults through a Client-Centred and Activity-Oriented Program. A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction And Aim: In the ageing society, a considerable part of the older adults are frail. Frailty has a major impact on the individual's quality of life, independence and also on his environment. This study aimed to investigate - as a secondary prevention of disability - the effectiveness of a client-centred and activity-oriented intervention program for frail community living older adults.

Cultured human peripheral blood mononuclear cells alter their gene expression when challenged with endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have the potential to interfere with the hormonal system and may negatively influence human health. Microarray analysis was used in this study to investigate differential gene expression in human peripheral blood cells (PBMCs) after in vitro exposure to EDCs. PBMCs, isolated from blood samples of four male and four female healthy individuals, were exposed in vitro for 18h to either a dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB126, 1μM), a non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB153, 10μM), a brominated flame retardant (BDE47, 10μM), a perfluorinated alkyl acid (PFOA, 10μM) or bisphenol (BPA, 10μM).

An organotypical in vitro model for vascular tissue remodelling and its application to study radiation effects.

An organotypic in vitro model, to study vascular tissueremodeling, was evaluated as a function of culture period. Inorder to validate the model as a tool for studying vascularresponses to damage, a dose-response analysis to ionizingirradiation was included.Rat aortic rings were explanted in vitro after being irradiatedwith single doses of (60)Co gamma-rays, namely 0, 5, 10, 15, 20or 25 Gy.

The International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC-2): an essential tool in the EPR of the GP.

The International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC) has become a standard all over the world. It became a standard tool to classify the important elements in the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) of the GP: reasons for encounter (RFE) reflecting the patient's view, process of care (decision, action, intervention or plans) reflecting the care process, and the assessment (diagnosis or health issue) reflecting the doctor's view. ICPC-2 is fully compatible with structuring data in the episode of care model and it's reflecting the essential elements of each patient/provider encounter.

Tertiary syphilis presenting as hepatic bull's eye lesions.

We report a rare case of tertiary syphilis (hepatic gummata, asymptomatic neurosyphilis and iridocyclitis) in a 47 year old female patient. Our patient suffered from a troubled sight, pain in the right hypochondrium, one enlarged submandibular lymph node, an elevated sedimentation rate, disturbed liver tests and two hepatic lesions upon abdominal computed tomography. The diagnosis was based upon a liver biopsy and a positive Treponema Pallidum haemagglutination test.

The impaired renal vasodilator response attributed to endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor in streptozotocin--induced diabetic rats is restored by 5-methyltetrahydrofolate.

Aims/hypothesis: Endothelial dysfunction contributes to the development of diabetic vascular complications. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of endothelial dysfunction in diabetes could lead to new approaches to prevent microvascular disease.

Methods: Endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasodilator responses were investigated in the renal microcirculation of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Beneficial effect of serotonin 5-HT2-receptor antagonism on renal blood flow autoregulation in cyclosporin-treated rats.

Renal blood flow (RBF) autoregulation reappears in postischemic rat kidneys during serotonin (5-HT2) antagonism. The aim of the present study was to analyze whether 5-HT2 antagonism can ameliorate impaired RBF autoregulation in rats treated with 20 mg/kg per d cyclosporin A during 10 d. Autoregulation of RBF was assessed during stepwise lowering of renal perfusion pressure from 110 to 70 mmHg by gradual compression of the aorta.

Influence of ketanserin on experimental loss of renal blood flow autoregulation.

Serotonin is important for effective renal blood flow (RBF) autoregulation in the normal rat and at two or seven days of reperfusion following renal ischemia. It has been suggested that after these reperfusion periods and during renal perfusion pressure (RPP) lowering, the vasodilatory autoregulation mechanism is not damaged but overwhelmed by increased 5-HT2-mediated vasoconstriction, resulting in complete loss of autoregulation. This study analyzes the influence of the 5-HT2-antagonist ketanserin on RBF autoregulation after two hours or one day of renal reperfusion following ischemia and in a model of cyclosporine (20 mg/kg.

Beneficial influence of ketanserin on autoregulation of blood flow in post-ischemic kidneys.

The influence of ketanserin, a S2-serotonergic receptor blocker, on the impaired renal hemodynamics in a clamp model of renal ischemia in rats was investigated in this study. Serotonin-induced vasoconstriction of the renal vascular bed was augmented after ischemia. This constriction is blocked by ketanserin (0.

Regional differences in vasculotoxic effects of cyclosporin in rats.

Studies on cyclosporin-induced vasculotoxicity often yielded discrepant results, possibly as a result of differences in study protocols. The aim of the present study was to analyse cyclosporin-induced vasculotoxicity in arteries of different size and origin. Therefore, rats were treated with cyclosporin, 20 mg.

Functional analysis of vascular dysfunction in cyclosporin treated rats.

Objective: The aim was to analyse vascular damage after chronic cyclosporin treatment (20 mg.kg-1 during 10 d) in rats.

Methods: The reactivity to different vasoactive agents was studied on thoracic aortic rings from control rats, and from rats subjected to renal ablation or cyclosporin treatment.

Organisation and ultrastructure of the regenerative crypts in the midgut of the adult worker honeybee (L. Apis mellifera).

The midgut epithelium of the adult honeybee consists of columnar and endocrine cells, both originating from regenerative crypt cells. The regenerative crypt is composed of stem cells and differentiating cells. The stem cells generate two forms of endocrine cells along with differentiating enterocytes of two distinct stages.

Light and electron microscopical study of two types of endocrines cell in the midgut of the adult worker honeybee (apis mellifera).

The occurrence, development and ultrastructure of two types of gut endocrine cell have been studied in the midgut of adult honeybees. These cells, one of a basal granular type and one of a vesicular type, are evenly distributed throughout the posterior three-quarters of the midgut. Each crypt complex contains one of each cell type, both of which may be derived from the same stem cells as the enterocytes.

Manual or automatic nulling DC offset for physiological DC amplifier.

An inexpensive circuit to compensate for DC offset is presented. The circuit may be connected in a straightforward manner to any currently existing DC isolation amplifier and causes no deterioration in the performance of the system. The offset voltage is measured at discrete time intervals and then subtracted from the input signal.

Computer-controlled portable stimulator for paraplegic patients.

A six-channel lightweight, portable and computer-controlled stimulator for the functional activation of paraplegic patients is described. To enable programming of the various functions, the stimulator was designed to work in a remote-control mode hosted by an IBM PC or compatible computer, in addition to its normally used local mode. The stimulus parameters, including current intensity, stimulus frequency and pulse width, are individually adjustable and programmable for each channel.