The Role of Supporting Examinations on the Diagnosis of Chronic Diarrhea in Children

Background: Etiology of chronic diarrhea can be established through non-invasive examination such as stool examination and stool culture. Colonoscopy is an invasive Method, which is occasionally needed to discover the etiology of chronic diarrhea. Objective: To recognize the characteristics of chronic diarrhea based on stool examination and colonoscopy results. Methods: Descriptive study on patients with chronic diarrhea who came to Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital since 1 June to 31 August 2005. Laboratory tests were conducted in accordance with clinical indication. Data was presented in distribution tables. Results: There were 41 patients with chronic diarrhea. Stool examination were performed only in 38 patients with negative-gram infection (86.8%). Stool cultures were performed in 27 patients with positive results of non-pathogenic Escherichia coli (85.2%). Stool parasite examination and concentration tests were performed in 17 patients, with 47.0% positive results as follow: Microsporidia 29.4%, Blastocystis hominis 11.8% and Giardia lamblia 5.9%. Colonoscopy examinations were performed in 6 patients and all patients indicated ulcerative colitis appearance with 50% histopathological impression of infective colitis. Conclusion: Stool examination in chronic diarrhea primarily indicates positive infection. Bacterial stool culture mostly includes non-pathogenic Escherichia coli, while parasite stool examination largely includes Microsporidia. Biopsy examination tends to reveal infective colitis

Dynamic qualitative bolt force measurements for investigating influence factors on the pushout effect of small calibre ammunition

A small calibre weapon system consists of the weapon and the ammunition. In the case of bolt action rifles during the process of firing, the breech is a rigid bearing which prevents the casing from being pushed out. However, not the whole pushout force is taken by the bolt. Due to friction forces at the casing boundary, the chamber of the weapon can absorb a significant part of the pushout force. The duration of the pushout force is in the order of milliseconds. Piezoelectric strain gauges are capable of recording such short time events qualitatively. To increase the measurability of force obtained from raw signal, is filtered using a bandpass filter and applying a signal envelope. The results from the strain gauges are verified by a piezoelectric force washer. In this paper, two different lubrication states and two different casing materials are analysed to evaluate their influences on the force absorbed by the bolt. The analysis indicated that lubricated casings lead to bolt forces which are more than three times higher when compared unlubricated casings. The unlubricated steel casing also showed a significant lower bolt force when compared with the regular brass casing. However, this effect is reversed, if the casing is lubricated. This work demonstrates how to measure highly dynamic events. The acquired results can be directly applied to 5.56x45 bolt action rifles. These measurements may also have a significant influence on self-loading rifles, since the process of reloading is also dependent on the pushout force. The general application area is target competitive shooting and military purposes

Impact of volatile phenols and their precursors on wine quality and control measures of Brettanomyces/Dekkera yeasts

Volatile phenols are aromatic compounds and one of the key molecules responsible for olfactory defects in wine. The yeast genus Brettanomyces is the only major microorganism that has the ability to covert hydroxycinnamic acids into important levels of these compounds, especially 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol, in red wine. When 4-ethylphenols reach concentrations greater than the sensory threshold, all wine’s organoleptic characteristics might be influenced or damaged. The aim of this literature review is to provide a better understanding of the physicochemical, biochemical, and metabolic factors that are related to the levels of p-coumaric acid and volatile phenols in wine. Then, this work summarizes the different methods used for controlling the presence of Brettanomyces in wine and the production of ethylphenols

Rates and determinants of antibiotics and probiotics prescription to children in Asia-Pacific countries

Antibiotic therapy may have important side effects. Guidelines recommend the administration of specific probiotics to reduce the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD). The rates and determinants of antibiotics and co-prescription of probiotics in children remain poorly known in Asia-Pacific countries, which are very heterogenous in terms of economic development, health care organization and health policies. A survey among general practitioners (GPs) and paediatricians was performed in seven countries of the Asia-Pacific area (Australia, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Singapore, and South Korea). Physicians completed an online questionnaire that explored their current habits and the determinants for prescribing antibiotics and probiotics. For the 731 physicians who completed the questionnaire (390 paediatricians and 341 GPs), 37% of all consultations for a child led to the prescription of antibiotics (ranging from 17% in Australia to 47% in India). A large majority of physicians (84%) agreed that antibiotics disrupted gut microbiota and considered probiotics an effective intervention to prevent AAD (68%). However, only 33% co-prescribed probiotics with antibiotics (ranging from 13% in Japan to 60% in South Korea). The main reasons for prescribing probiotics were previous episodes of AAD (61%), presence of diarrhoea (55%), prolonged antibiotic treatment (54%) or amoxicillin-clavulanic acid therapy (54%). Although current local guidelines recommend the use of selected probiotics in children receiving antibiotics in Asia-Pacific area, the rates of antibiotics and probiotics prescription significantly vary among countries and are deeply affected by country-related cultural and organisational issues

Antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular characterization for some virulence factors of Proteus Mirabilis isolated from patients in Al-Qadisiyah Province/ Iraq

Total of 64 Samples clinical isolates were collected from various sources included urine, ear external swab, wounds swab, burns swab, high cervical and endometrium cervical swab, which was taken from (in-patients) and (out-patients) in Maternal, and General Teaching Hospital in AL-Diwaniya city during the period from 1/3/2015 till 30/9/2015. The resistance of bacterial isolates to 12 different antibiotics was tested and isolates showed different resistance to anti-βata Lactam including penicillin and Amoxicillin/ Clavulanic acid by (100%), cefotaxime by (86%), and Cephalexin by (90.62%), Imipenem by (18.75%), and Meropenem by (15.62%). Some of the virulence factors have been studied genetically (20 isolates), in terms of the genetic aspect, five genes were obtained for virulence factors and at varying rates, as the urease enzyme ureC, fimbriae formation mrpA, flagella flaA, hemolysin enzyme hpmA and biofilm formation luxS (60, 40,100, 45, 55) % , respectively

Hydrothermal deposition of CdS on vertically aligned ZnO nanorods for photoelectrochemical solar cell application

CdS/ZnO nanorods composite nanofilms were successfully synthesized via hydrothermal method on indium doped tin oxide glass substrates. Sequentially deposited CdS formed cauliflower like nanostructures on vertically aligned ZnO nanorods. The morphological, compositional, structural and optical properties of the films were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. Photoelectrochemical conversion efficiencies were evaluated by photocurrent measurements in a mixture of Na2S and Na2SO3 akaline aqueous solution. The amount of deposit, as well as the diameter and crystallinity of the CdS cauliflower were found to increase with growth time. CdS/ZnO nanorods composite exhibited greater photocurrent response than ZnO nanorod arrays. Besides, the composite film with 90 min of growth duration displayed the highest photocurrent density which is nearly four times greater than plain ZnO nanorods under the illumination of halogen light. The result exhibited remarkable photoconversion efficiency (η) of 1.92 %